Today, the House of Representatives voted to make the largest cuts in history to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), endangering the health and financial security of millions of older adults across America. The budget reconciliation bill (H.R. 1) narrowly passed 218-214 with only Republican support. It passed the Senate earlier this week, with the Vice President casting the tie-breaking vote. The president is expected to sign it into law tomorrow.
Statement from Justice in Aging’s Executive Director Kevin Prindiville:
“Cutting Medicaid, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and SNAP is morally indefensible under any circumstance, but this bill is particularly cruel, cutting these programs by well over $1 trillion and taking health coverage from 17 million people. These cuts rob older adults and other people struggling to make ends meet to make the billionaires even richer, setting a dangerous precedent that Congress will use these basic needs programs as a piggy bank.
These cuts are so much more than the shocking numbers; they tear the very fabric of our communities and break the promise that people in America can depend on this assistance as they age. For decades, lawmakers and advocates have worked together to strengthen Medicaid, Medicare, and SNAP and help ensure people who cannot afford health care and food can access it. This bill rolls back that progress, endangering the lives of today’s older adults and ripping away the foundation for the next generations to be able to age with dignity.
When President Lyndon Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into law 60 years ago this month, he said, ‘[T]here is another tradition that we share today. It calls upon us never to be indifferent toward despair. It commands us never to turn away from helplessness. It directs us never to ignore or to spurn those who suffer untended in a land that is bursting with abundance.’ This week, Congress broke that tradition, disregarding their constituents who told them how this bill will cause them to suffer and instead chose to hoard the abundance.
The one thing this bill cannot change is Justice in Aging’s fierce commitment to advocating for the rights and dignity of low-income older adults, ensuring their voices are heard, and their lives are valued. We are grateful to the older adults and advocates across the country who put everything into this fight and share this unwavering commitment to do right by our communities.”
