[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 81 (Wednesday, May 14, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H2014]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      MEDICAID BENEFITS ALL OF US

  (Mr. CASTEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. CASTEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in your defense and in defense of all 
of your fellow Medicaid beneficiaries.
  Now before you say, wait a minute, Medicaid is for poor people, and I 
am not poor. Here is the thing: If you cut Medicaid, community health 
centers shut down, which means that instead of preventative care, folks 
go to emergency rooms. If you ever need urgent medical attention, and 
there is an ER bed available, you are a Medicaid beneficiary.
  If you cut Medicaid, public school kids with special needs won't get 
the targeted resources that they need. If you are a kid or if you are 
the parent of a kid who is getting help from a teacher who is not 
otherwise overwhelmed by their workload, then you are a Medicaid 
beneficiary.
  If you cut Medicaid, a whole lot of hospitals will close. If you have 
an operating hospital within driving distance of your home, 
congratulations, you are a Medicaid beneficiary.
  Medicaid benefits all of us. Yet, the Republican plan that they are 
debating would cut that program by $700 billion, making us all sicker, 
more vulnerable, and making sure that people die. However, at least 
they can tell Donald Trump that they gave him a tax cut.
  I hope they are proud of themselves because no one else is.

                          ____________________