Opposing Provider Tax Restrictions in the Gop Reconciliation Bill

Floor Speech

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Ms. BARRAGAN. Mr. Speaker, Senate Republicans are making Donald Trump's big, ugly bill even uglier with steeper cuts to Medicaid that will leave more kids, parents, and seniors without healthcare. This is all so they can reward their billionaire donors with even bigger tax breaks.

This bill would deeply cut Medicaid and hurt our most vulnerable. Don't take my word for it. Republican Senator Thom Tillis shared this chart on the State-by-State impact of Senate Republicans' newest cuts.

Do you live in North Carolina? If you do, you stand to lose $38.9 billion and kick up to 600,000 people off Medicaid. Many States, including Republican States, lose tens of billions of dollars in Medicaid funding.

How about Virginia? Virginia will lose $24.8 billion. Louisiana, the Speaker's home State, will lose $20 billion. South Carolina will lose $20 billion. States with small budgets would get hammered.

Iowa loses $4.1 billion. What did Senator Ernst from Iowa have to say about it? She is not concerned. She says: ``Well, we all are going to die.''

Kentucky loses about $12 billion. What does Senator Mitch McConnell have to say about that? He says: ``They'll get over it.''

What?

Are you, the American people, going to just get over losing your healthcare so that a billionaire can buy a bigger yacht? Do you want to die young in the emergency room so that a Fortune 500 company can add a few more seats to their private jet?

Here is what Senate Republicans are doing that caused Senator Tillis to make this chart. Right now, States use a variety of tools to help pay for their share of Medicaid, which is the health insurance program for low-income families, children, seniors, and people with disabilities.

One of the most important tools is called a provider tax. That is when hospitals or health plans agree to pay a small tax to keep Medicaid running. In return, the Federal Government matches those dollars. It is a Federal-State partnership that keeps hospitals open, staff paid, and patients covered, but the Senate Republican bill would limit how much States can use that tool. It puts new restrictions on States that expanded Medicaid to low-income people, saying they can't collect as much from hospitals or health insurance companies as they do now.

It means the Federal Government would be telling States that you can't use the money you have depended on for years to keep Medicaid going. That is going to cause a lot of damage. Hospitals would lose funding. States will face bigger budget gaps.

What happens then? You will see cuts: cuts to healthcare, cuts to services, and cuts to the very people who need help the most. This means tens or even hundreds of billions of dollars lost. Those are not just numbers on a page. Those are real people losing health insurance. Those are real patients getting turned away and real communities, especially rural and low-income communities, being left behind.

This morning, the Senate Parliamentarian ruled that these provider tax restrictions cannot be included as drafted, but this fight is still very real.

We have seen Republicans rework the text of these radical cuts to get the Parliamentarian's approval, and at least one House Republican suggested today that they just ignore what this Parliamentarian has said.

I have no doubt that the plan Republicans come up with will slash Medicaid and devastate hospitals to fund their tax breaks.

Now a few Republicans here in the House have said these new cuts go too far. Yet, are they really willing to stand up for their constituents and vote ``no'' if the Senate sends over these deep cuts? I am not going to hold my breath because Republicans have already caved last month and voted to kick millions of people off Medicaid. House Democrats and Senate Democrats are united to stop this big, ugly bill.

Mr. Speaker, I urge Republicans in Congress to join us to do the right thing and oppose this bill. Republicans should stand up for hospitals, stand up for patients, and stand up for the millions of Americans who count on Medicaid every day.

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