[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 87 (Thursday, May 22, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S3136]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                MEDICAID

  Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER. Mr. President, according to Secretary Kennedy, 
the Trump administration is committed to building the most 
compassionate Department of Health and Human Services in the history of 
the United States.
  So I went to the dictionary and looked up the term ``compassionate.'' 
It means: ``a sympathetic consciousness of others' distress, together 
with a desire to alleviate it.''
  Yet the proposed Republican budget would make historic billion-dollar 
cuts to the programs real Americans rely on. Instead of alleviating 
distress, this ``Big Bad Bill'' would actually exacerbate it.
  And late, late last night, House Republicans added even more distress 
to their Medicaid cuts, changes that would cut care and prevent access 
to care for millions of Americans; changes that would cut funding that 
ensures safe, healthy births for newborns; changes that will endanger 
our parents and grandparents who live in nursing homes.
  So I rise today and seek true compassion from my colleagues and ask 
in the words of the famous song: ``Where is the love?''
  I rise today because I have been getting call after call, email after 
email, meeting with person after person, all worried sick about cuts to 
Medicaid. And I want to share some of their stories today. I want my 
colleagues to hear their names and understand the trade-offs they are 
making to support tax cuts for the wealthy, while failing to shrink the 
national debt.
  Again, I am going to say that again: while failing to shrink the 
national debt.
  Here are their stories.
  Emmanual lives in Sussex County. When I met with him recently, he 
told me that if we pull the thread of Medicaid, his whole life would 
unravel. Emmanual calls himself a CP warrior, and he doesn't let 
cerebral palsy or his wheelchair stop him.
  For Emmanual, Medicaid is more than prescriptions and doctors' 
appointments. It is about freedom and independence. Participating in 
Medicaid allowed him to get and keep a job. Access to Medicaid is how 
he went from being homeless to being employed, housed, and financially 
secure. It is what enables his wife to be his primary caretaker, while 
also allowing them to live together as husband and wife.
  He struggles to plan for his future and that of his family because 
his life depends on decisions that we make here in this body.
  Joy. Joy lives in Wilmington with her 34-year-old son, who she says 
is severely autistic. He received amazing services from the Delaware 
Autism Program when he was in school and now attends their day program 
at Point of Hope. And you guessed it; Point of Hope is funded through 
Medicaid.
  Joy is literally terrified of what could happen if these cuts close 
that program. She doesn't know where her son will end up if they lose 
the support that Medicaid provides and she can no longer take care of 
him.
  And Nancy. Nancy lives in Dover with her 19-year-old son Christopher, 
who was born prematurely. Christopher coded in the NICU and suffered a 
brain injury. As a result, he is on a Medicaid waiver since he was 8 
months old.
  For the last 19 years, Nancy has advocated for her family, as well as 
countless Delawareans. She built her life around caring for Christopher 
in their home versus an expensive long-term care facility.
  Medicaid covers the medical equipment Nancy rents to keep Christopher 
alive. Medicaid covers the skilled medical professionals that help 
Nancy care for her son and give her respite. Nancy told me that 
Christopher's life depends on this budget.
  In her words, this debate about funding cuts feels like the rug is 
being pulled from under her.
  Emmanual, Joy, Nancy, and Christopher--these are just a few of the 
stories that I have been told since our Republican colleagues started 
their crusade against care. These are real people with real needs that 
Medicaid fills--real people whom we shine the light on and not ignore.
  And I want my colleagues to hear their names. I want them to remember 
the names of the people in their own States who are imploring us to 
stand up and protect their access to care: the Emmanuals, the Joys, 
Nancys, the Christophers.
  So whether you are a person of faith or just somebody who cares about 
your neighbor, now is the time to move from the Golden Rule of treating 
others as you would like to be treated to the ``Platinum Rule''--to 
treat others the way they want to be treated, with real compassion, and 
to start with protecting Medicaid.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oregon.

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