Secretary Becerra: “It doesn’t make sense to put the health and life of Americans, of Arizonans, at risk simply to provide tax cuts to the wealthiest in this country.”
Today, former Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, Arizona State Rep. Nancy Gutierrez, and Tucson City Councilmember Kevin Dahl joined Defend America Action on a press call to call on Arizona Republicans like Reps. David Schweikert, Eli Crane, and Juan Ciscomani to vote against the House Republican budget plan that slashes funding for health care and food assistance to give tax breaks to billionaires.
Speakers on the call highlighted how the Trump-backed Republican budget will harm their communities, particularly those who depend on Medicaid and families whose children depend on critical programs like free school lunches.
“What do we see in Washington, DC? We see this man-made disaster stripping away all those gains for all these Americans, all these Arizonans, for what? Tax breaks for billionaires and corporations?” said Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. “It doesn’t make sense to put the health and life of Americans, of Arizonans, at risk simply to provide tax cuts to the wealthiest in this country. And so, why should we stand for allowing some 14 million Americans, hundreds of thousands of them from Arizona, to lose the care that they now have?”
“As a public school teacher, I am very concerned about the food inequities that will result. Over 58% of Arizona students qualify for free and reduced lunch, and they will not get those benefits of coming to school and actually eating, let alone being able to learn if these cuts happen,” said Arizona State Rep. Nancy Gutierrez. “This proposal will absolutely decimate our state, and the most affected areas will be our rural communities.”
“If Representative Ciscomani had been doing in-person town halls, and he hasn’t been, he would have heard a lot of people are concerned about the sort of cutbacks that we’re facing. It means people will die,” said Tucson City Councilmember Kevin Dahl. “We can’t go back on providing services to the most vulnerable. […] While we are also doing tax cuts for the rich and people who can afford to pay taxes, we are making policy changes on the backs of working people and low-income people and that’s just not right. I call upon Representative Juan Ciscomani to fulfill the promises he’s made about Medicaid and Medicare and fight these cutbacks.”
BACKGROUND
THE GOP BUDGET SLASHES HEALTH CARE AND FOOD ASSISTANCE TO PAY FOR TAX BREAKS FOR BILLIONAIRES: House Republicans are moving forward with an unpopular, unaffordable tax break for the wealthiest people in the country, and they’re paying for it by raising costs, taking away health care, and slashing school lunches for working families in Arizona.
- COSTS GOING UP WHILE BILLIONAIRE TAXES GO DOWN: House Democrats released a nonpartisan CBO analysis confirming Republicans’ plan will raise health care costs for working families and take away Medicaid from nearly 9 million people, all to pay for a massive tax break for the ultra-wealthy.
- BUDGET WILL SLASH HEALTH CARE ACCESS: House Republicans’ budget will put health care at risk for some 300,000 Arizonans, even though 92 percent of Arizona voters oppose cutting Medicaid in order to pay for tax breaks for billionaires. This will create at least a $1.26 billion hole in the Arizona state budget and cause premium costs and out-of-pocket costs to rise for more than 300,000 Arizonans.
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- Republicans’ bill works to remove as many Medicaid recipients as possible under the guise of “work requirements.” In reality, virtually all Medicaid recipients work, are caregivers, are elderly or have disabilities.
- Republicans’ bill works to remove as many Medicaid recipients as possible under the guise of “work requirements.” In reality, virtually all Medicaid recipients work, are caregivers, are elderly or have disabilities.
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- Medicaid disproportionately serves children, older people, and people with disabilities, and in Arizona, this includes:
- FOOD ASSISTANCE SLASHED: House Republicans’ budget cuts free and reduced-cost school meals, Meals on Wheels and the nutrition program for Women, Infants and Children. They’re putting food assistance at risk for nearly 295,000 Arizonans across the state.
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- The House is set to enact the largest cuts to food assistance in history. Republicans’ bill will also enact new unnecessary burdens for older Americans and families with children applying for basic needs programs, while freezing future benefit increases that help households adjust to rising food costs.
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