Trumps Comments on Medicare, Medicaid are Disconnected, Reckless

On April 1, President Trump told an Easter luncheon audience that “it’s not possible for us to take care of day care, Medicaid, Medicare, all these individual things” because “we’re fighting wars.” The White House posted the video, then deleted it. His spokesperson called these programs “scams.” This is a billionaire president who approved a $400 million ballroom at the White House and wants $200 billion for an unauthorized war in Iran telling 69 million Medicare recipients and 76 million Medicaid enrollees, including 36 million children, that their healthcare isn’t a priority. Medicare is not a handout. American workers pay into it every paycheck for decades. They earned it. And Medicaid covers more than half the children in this country, funds 51% of all nursing home care, and keeps millions of seniors, disabled Americans, and pregnant women alive. These are your constituents. Trump campaigned on protecting Medicare and making child care affordable. Fifteen months later he’s calling these programs impossible and telling his budget director not to send money for daycare. Meanwhile, Dr. Oz runs Medicare and Medicaid, the administration has halted $259 million in Medicaid payments to Minnesota, and the “fraud task force” is chaired by JD Vance with Stephen Miller as senior advisor. Fraud in these programs is real and should be prosecuted. But labeling the programs themselves as scams while requesting hundreds of billions for bombs and ballrooms tells you exactly where this administration’s priorities are. As Rep. Don Beyer put it: “All this man cares about is bombs and ballrooms.” We are asking you to publicly oppose any cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, or federal child care funding. Vote against any budget that shifts these programs to states without guaranteed federal funding. Demand hearings on the administration’s Medicaid payment freezes. And tell your constituents where you stand, on the record, before the midterms. Sixty-nine million Medicare enrollees and 36 million children on Medicaid did not vote for bombs and ballrooms. They need you to fight for them!