Sen. Schatz: Trump & Republicans Cutting Medicare & Medicaid

“Republicans really are coming after your Medicare and your Medicaid. This isn’t a campaign slogan or an overstatement. It’s right there in the budget that the president released this week. It’s right there in the budget that the president released this week. It’s got 1.5 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, and $845 billion in cuts to Medicare.”

Following the release this week of President Donald Trump’s budget request for the next fiscal year, Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawa‘i) delivered this week’s Weekly Democratic Address on Friday, March 15, 2019.

In the address, Sen. Schatz warns that the Trump Administration and Republicans are coming after Americans’ Medicare and Medicaid—with the Trump budget proposing $1.5 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and $845 billion in cuts to Medicare. Schatz explains that the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans are going after these vital programs to pay for the tax cuts they gave to corporations and the wealthiest Americans last year. In closing, Schatz highlights the stark contrast between Democrats and Republicans: Republicans want to pay for their tax cuts for the wealthiest few by gutting health care, and Democrats instead want to expand access to quality, affordable health coverage, invest in students, and protect our air and water from pollution.

Sen. Schatz’s remarks as delivered follows:

“Hi everyone. I’m Senator Brian Schatz from Hawaii.

“Now, I know this is the Democratic weekly address, and we’re supposed to say the things that are good for Democrats and bad for Republicans. But it’s true: Republicans really are coming after your Medicare and your Medicaid. This isn’t a campaign slogan or an overstatement. It’s right there in the budget that the president released this week. It’s got $1.5 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, and $845 billion in cuts to Medicare.

“And what’s interesting is that these cuts add up to about $2.3 trillion, which is literally the same amount that the tax cuts that Republicans just gave to the wealthiest Americans last year. They lost $2.3 trillion in revenue because they gave a 14 percent tax cut to corporations and $17 billion worth of tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans. And so now they’re trying to pay for it by going after your health care.

“The president’s budget also has other cuts that are totally unacceptable: $25 billion from Social Security, $207 billion from federal student loan programs, $220 billion from programs that feed the poor, and one-third of the entire budget of the Environmental Protection Agency.

“So this budget makes very clear the difference between Democrats and Republicans. Republicans are all about tax cuts and paying for it by cutting health care. And Democrats want to expand health care coverage, invest in students, and protect the air we breathe and the water that we drink.

“It’s that simple. Thanks for listening.”