    [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 38 (Wednesday, February 26, 2025)]
    [House]
    [Page H842]
    From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

                                    MEDICAID

      The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from
    Michigan (Ms. Tlaib) for 5 minutes.
      Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, Republicans are ramming through $4.5 trillion
    in tax cuts for billionaires and corporations. Look it up, Mr. Speaker.
    We are not making it up. So when I hear people say that is not what is
    happening when it is very evident, when Republicans are cutting $880
    billion, specifically in a committee that works on Medicaid, where do
    people think it is going to come from?
      For this Chamber to be able to pay for the cuts for the billionaires
    and powerful corporations, they are literally ripping healthcare away
    from millions of our families. Nearly 80 million people across the
    country rely on Medicaid and the children's health insurance program
    for access to healthcare.
      Medicaid is a program that provides prenatal care for expectant
    mothers, vaccinations for our children, and treatments for chronic
    conditions. It is a program that ensures that people don't have to
    choose between paying for their medication and putting food on the
    table.
      We all know our healthcare system is broken. It is inhumane. They
    can't do it alone.
      For those who rely on Medicaid, it is not just a service, Mr.
    Speaker. It is the difference between life and death. Right now, the
    future of Medicaid is under threat. It is clear as day when Republicans
    cut $880 billion.
      Under the budget that many of my colleagues passed last night, more
    than 250,000 people alone in my own district will be impacted. Mr.
    Speaker, 2.6 million across the State of Michigan will be impacted.
      These are not just numbers. They are our neighbors, our friends, our
    families, and parents who have special needs children. They depend on
    Medicaid for treatment and medication that is life or death, for health
    services they simply cannot afford elsewhere because we have sick care
    in our country, and we haven't had the courage to take on the industry.
      Among them, of course, are thousands and thousands of children. I
    know seniors and people with disabilities will be at the top of being
    directly impacted.
      Medicaid, Mr. Speaker, is the primary source for long-term care in
    our country. Long-term care in our country depends on Medicaid funding.

                                  {time}  1030

      In my district alone, I have 22,000 seniors above the age of 65 who
    rely on it. Again, many of them rely on the necessary care and services
    because of Medicare, to live in dignity in their later years.
      Without Medicaid, our seniors could be forced to live without
    healthcare protections at the moment they need them the most.
      Make no mistake: Republicans want to give away trillions of dollars
    to the richest people in the world. My colleagues on the other side of
    the aisle want to pay for it by risking the lives of children and
    seniors. The majority is fully aware of what the impact is in their own
    communities, but my Republican colleagues did it anyway because the
    majority is convincing themselves that it is not happening and it is
    not going to happen.
      We will see. Remember those words when Republicans said it wasn't in
    there. We will see what the impact will be on our families.
      Please, to all our residents across the country: Raise your voices
    and fight. Fight for our families. Share your stories. We must continue
    to demand that healthcare is a right in our country and not a
    privilege. We will not allow them to fund tax cuts for billionaires,
    who can afford healthcare, by stripping away healthcare for our most
    vulnerable.

                                Federal Workers

      Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, we are not an experiment for Elon Musk to
    play with. We are not. The Trump administration's ongoing attacks on
    the Federal workforce is out of control. It is chaotic. It is harmful.
      Mr. Speaker, two children froze to death in the city I grew up in
    because they couldn't access housing resources. They kept calling. At
    that moment, though, we were letting go of the HUD workers who oversaw
    compliance of the Detroit Housing Commission.
      I see that, within the Dingell VA Medical Center in Detroit, 28
    veteran workers, some who cleaned the surgical equipment, were fired
    yesterday. What happens?
      Cuts to our Federal workforce have real-life impacts. Dozens of
    workers have just been fired, not only at the Dingell VA Medical
    Center, but with our HUD programs, FEMA, EPA, you name it.
      This administration is sending a message that they couldn't care less
    about not only our veterans, but the fact that we have a right to
    breathe clean air and we have a right to be protected by those who
    abuse their power.
      What the administration is doing is so incredibly harmful that they
    keep reversing their decisions, again creating this kind of chaos that
    is creating fear among our families and impacting their services.
      Mr. Speaker, these unaccountable billionaires are coming after all of
    our Federal workers, and it is an important reminder that it is not
    just a worker, but that these are individuals. Behind every single
    worker is a Federal program that helps our families.

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