[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 87 (Thursday, May 22, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S3119]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. REED (for himself, Mr. Heinrich and Mr. Markey):
  S. 1903. A bill to prohibit changes to Medicare and Medicaid in 
reconciliation; to the Committee on the Budget.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, critical programs for Americans from all 
walks of life are under threat right now: Medicare and Medicaid. The 
Trump administration and my colleagues on the other side of the aisle 
are working to pass partisan legislation that would make massive cuts 
to Medicaid. Indeed, the House of Representatives passed their bill 
last night, voting for the largest cut ever to healthcare for working-
class Americans by a single vote. That is why I am introducing the 
Protect Medicare and Medicaid Act of 2025 with my colleagues Senators 
Heinrich and Markey.
  Under the budget reconciliation process, Republicans can ram through 
massive cuts to Medicaid or Medicare by a simple majority in the U.S. 
Senate. It shouldn't be possible to use this fast-track process to 
strip away the healthcare coverage of millions of Americans. 
Regrettably, that is what Donald Trump and congressional Republicans 
are doing.
  Senators who served before me had the wisdom to say that this process 
is too partisan to touch a program like Social Security, which serves 
as a lifeline for retirees and has worked to reduce poverty among the 
elderly, and therefore exempted Social Security from the budget 
reconciliation process.
  The bill I am introducing today is very simple. It would exempt 
Medicare and Medicaid from budget reconciliation, alongside Social 
Security. These programs are too important to fall victim to partisan 
attacks. Medicare and Medicaid combined provide health insurance to 
well over 100 million Americans, providing nursing home care to seniors 
and those with disabilities, health insurance for children and pregnant 
women, and countless others. Without these programs, millions of 
Americans would lose insurance, go bankrupt, or both. One party should 
not be able to unilaterally dismantle these programs. This bill would 
prevent that from happening. I hope my colleagues will join me in 
supporting this effort to protect the healthcare coverage of tens of 
millions of our fellow Americans.
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