[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 62 (Monday, April 7, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H1422-H1423]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     ADDRESSING UNWORKABLE FUNDING REDUCTIONS IN THE FEDERAL BUDGET

  (Ms. Morrison of Minnesota was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Ms. MORRISON. Mr. Speaker, today I rise with a letter. This is a 
letter from Republican State legislators from my home State of 
Minnesota, addressed to President Trump and Republicans in Congress. 
Please listen carefully.

       Dear Mr. President, Congressman Emmer, Congressman Finstad, 
     Congresswoman Fischbach, Congressman Stauber, and Ms. 
     Carlton, Minnesota has been a leader in providing access to 
     care and containing costs and now stands vulnerable to 
     unworkable funding reductions with some of what is being 
     proposed in the Federal budget.
       A move to a per capita cap or block grant program will be 
     workable if the reduction is modest, manageable, and 
     accompanied by extreme flexibility. Too deep of a cut is 
     unmanageable in any instance.
       Innovation is occurring in Minnesota within the current 
     financing and waiver structure. We are moving people with 
     disabilities into greater independence. Massive Medicaid 
     reductions could punish Minnesota for being such a strong 
     leader in greater efficiencies and better outcomes. It would 
     devastate the already lean areas of service we have been 
     working to make more efficient for many years
       As Republican leaders in Minnesota, we have been partners 
     for designing a State Health and Human Services system that 
     meets the needs of our great State.
       Just to emphasize what you already know, Medicaid includes 
     services and care for the seniors and those with 
     disabilities, not just healthcare for the poor. Additionally, 
     nearly 50 percent of all Medicaid enrollees are children.
       Given some of the large numbers coming out of Washington, 
     we are concerned that there is no practical way to 
     accommodate some of the proposed massive reductions and still 
     provide the kind of care these vulnerable people require.
       Drastic reductions to Medicaid funding have the potential 
     to impact the 1.4 million people we serve and place 
     incredible pressure on our overall State budget.

                              {time}  1215

       There are no other sources to make up the lost Federal 
     share beyond severely impacting the seniors and those with 
     disabilities who we serve.
       This is contrary to how we Republicans respect the aged and 
     the vulnerable.
       Deep reductions beyond what we can absorb will also put a 
     major strain on the State's ability to support our county-
     based infrastructure. In our county-based service model, via 
     the property tax, counties already pay very significant 
     shares of human services costs, including child protection, 
     waiver management, chemical dependency, mental health, and 
     State facility stays, and have little capacity to absorb any 
     significant additional cost.
       The only choices available are being forced to raise local 
     property taxes drastically or close services.
       Finally, healthcare is a major employer in rural Minnesota. 
     Reductions in already-too-low reimbursement rates would not 
     only limit access but would also reduce pay and services, 
     hugely impacting rural economies and the rapidly growing 
     aging population in greater Minnesota.

[[Page H1423]]

       Please remind our good leaders in Washington that simply 
     cutting the budget is not going to take away our 
     responsibilities to the aged, those with disabilities and 
     mental health needs, children, and the poor.
       You can make a difference in this debate.
       Please, please do.
       Respectfully.

  The letter was signed by more than one dozen Republican State 
legislators.
  Mr. Speaker, this is from Republican legislators to the Republican 
President and the Republican majority in Congress. Their plea is clear. 
The threat is real. The facts are undeniable. Republicans in State 
legislatures do not want to gut Medicaid. Minnesotans do not want to 
gut Medicaid. Americans do not want to gut Medicaid.
  So why in the world are congressional Republicans teeing up these 
massive cuts to Medicaid in their budget?
  It is because they are singularly focused on giving massive tax 
breaks to their wealthy donors, to billionaires like Elon Musk, and to 
huge corporations. They are willing to do that by selling out 
healthcare coverage for 80 million Americans.
  That is it. It is really that simple.
  I say to my Republican colleagues that you cannot hide from your own 
party raising the alarm not to do this. You cannot hide from the fact 
that you are choosing to rip healthcare away from millions of 
Americans. You cannot hide from the fact that you are choosing to 
decimate State budgets in order to serve your donors and your 
billionaire elites. You cannot hide from the fact that your State 
counterparts and surely your constituents do not want you to do this.
  As we consider the budget this week, we need House Republicans in the 
House of Representatives to finally stand with Democrats against this 
disastrous budget.

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