They whined and objected for months, but in the end, they all voted for Donald Trump’s massive bill slashing taxes and the Medicaid health insurance program.
They hemmed and they hawed. They grumbled about cutting health care for millions of Americans. They whined about exploiting the debt and threatening the nation’s fiscal health.
In the end, almost every Republican lawmaker who voiced opposition to President Donald Trump’s big bill slashing taxes and Medicaid in recent weeks turned around and voted for it on Thursday, a huge cave that came as no surprise to anyone paying attention to Congress this year.
The legislative branch ― at least the Republican majority ― is completely subservient to Trump, steadily giving up its authority to an ever-powerful executive. However, much of the bill contains long-sought GOP goals, including tax cuts for the wealthy and massive cuts to the social safety net.
In reality, most Republican members of Congress were never truly opposed to the bill. They were merely seeking to shape and influence the final product right up to the moment it passed. Once it passed the Senate with the help of a tie-breaking vote from Vice President JD Vance, it was clear it was just a matter of time before it reached Trump’s desk.
Rep. David Valadao
Valadao, a moderate swing district from central California, issued an unequivocal statement as the Senate was considering the bill, making it clear he would not support “harmful cuts to Medicaid,” which would impact the many Medicaid recipients in his state.
“I will not support a final bill that eliminates vital funding streams our hospitals rely on, including provider taxes and state-directed payments, or any provisions that threaten expansion states,” the congressman said.
However, I voted to advance the bill on Wednesday, even though it contained exactly those provisions that threatened Medicaid. In fact, the bill contains over $1 trillion in cuts to the program, a historic reduction that will result in over 12 million people losing their health insurance over the next decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
By the numbers
456,532 people in the San Joaquin Valley on Medicaid are at risk of losing their health care, including 133,709 children under 19 years old, and 22,577 seniors over age 65.
131,000 people would lose their food stamps/SNAP benefits.
25,000 people who receive coverage through the Affordable Care Act would have their average premium go up by $1,870 per year – a 91% increase.
