1. United States
2. Mo.
3. Letter

As a family medicine physician and constituent in Missouri, I am writing with deep concern and urgency regarding the allocation of public funds toward detention centers—facilities that perpetuate harm, trauma, and systemic injustice—while critical programs like Medicaid, Medicare, and community healthcare go underfunded. Every day, I care for patients whose lives would be drastically improved with greater investment in our healthcare infrastructure including seniors struggling to access medications, working families who can’t afford preventive care, and rural residents losing access to hospitals. It is both infuriating and heartbreaking to see taxpayer dollars funneled into expanding detention operations instead of being used to support the health, safety, and dignity of the people you were elected to serve. Detention centers do not reflect the values of compassion, justice, or fiscal responsibility. They are not a solution to our immigration or criminal justice challenges, they are a humanitarian crisis. Meanwhile, we are told there's “not enough funding” for Medicaid expansion, behavioral health support, maternal care, or services for disabled and elderly Americans. As a physician, I implore you to redirect funding away from inhumane detention facilities and toward policies that support health, family stability, and community well-being. This is a matter of moral clarity and fiscal responsibility. Missouri families deserve better. Please take a stand and oppose continued funding for detention centers. Our communities need care, not cages.