[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 75 (Tuesday, May 6, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H1857]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         MEDICAID IS A LIFELINE

  (Mr. Subramanyam of Virginia was recognized to address the House for 
5 minutes.)
  Mr. SUBRAMANYAM. Mr. Speaker, our kids, our seniors, and constituents 
deserve to live healthy, prosperous, and independent lives. That is why 
I spoke with hundreds of my constituents at a Medicaid townhall this 
past weekend, since most of them depend on Medicaid to live fulfilling 
lives with dignity.
  The impacts of the $880 billion in cuts being proposed to Medicaid 
are not statistics. They are children, parents, educators, and 
grandparents. They are our neighbors and our friends.
  I heard from a father whose son was almost institutionalized. He was 
getting ready to quit his job to take care of his son full time. 
Instead, his son got access to care through Medicaid, which allowed the 
father to continue running his nonprofit, which was helping adults with 
intellectual disabilities.
  I listened to a grandparent of two intellectually disabled kids who 
has been their legal guardian for 15 years now. With the help of 
Medicaid, both children are living independently. Yet, with these cuts, 
they may face medication bills of $7,000 per month and be forced to 
move back in with their grandparents.
  I heard from a nurse who shared that 40 percent of the births in her 
hospital are covered by Medicaid, including prenatal, maternal, and 
postpartum care. That is what supporting families and family values 
looks like.
  A speech language pathologist at a title I school told me that most 
of her students are on Medicaid. They rely on it for free and reduced 
school lunches, and students with disabilities rely on it for their 
education.
  Mr. Speaker, let's look at the facts. Medicaid supports 1.8 million 
Virginians, and hundreds of thousands of them would lose their Medicaid 
access because a 1 percent cut in the Federal Government's contribution 
to Virginia's Medicaid program will mean everyone from Medicaid 
expansion loses their Medicaid.
  There are 3 in 10 children who are on Medicaid, 2 in 7 working-age 
adults with disabilities are on Medicaid, and 5 in 8 nursing home 
residents are on Medicaid.
  Medicaid is also the fourth largest Federal funding source of our 
public schools. It provides mental health services. It ensures kids 
with disabilities get what they need. In 43 States, including Virginia, 
it also provides access to free and reduced-priced school meals.
  There are over 37 million children enrolled in Medicaid and the 
Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, in the United States. 
These are the most vulnerable people in the country who stand to lose 
the most from these deep funding cuts.
  If my colleagues want to talk about fiscal responsibility, cuts to 
Medicaid will mean less preventative care, more costly emergency room 
visits, and much higher costs for treating preventable diseases and 
illnesses. That will increase premiums and costs for every single 
American, even those with private insurance, those who are not on 
Medicaid. Everyone will be affected by these cuts.
  Yet, we hear that these cuts won't touch Medicaid, but that is not 
true. Just look at the math. It is the only way to make these cuts.
  Medicaid is a lifeline. It is not a line item that can be blindly 
chopped to pay for a partisan wish list of bad ideas and tax cuts for 
the biggest corporations. In the richest country in the world, we 
should be working to cure diseases, explore new medical technologies, 
and expand Medicaid, not cutting off basic care.
  Mr. Speaker, our kids, our seniors, and our communities deserve 
better.

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