Reed: Trump’s Trillion-Dollar Health Care Cuts Are Making America Sicker & Poorer

WASHINGTON, DC - As millions of Americans who rely on federal health care benefits such as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Medicare, and Medicaid begin to feel the fallout from the sweeping changes and trillion-dollar cuts under President Donald Trump's so-called One Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA), U.S. Senator Jack Reed is fighting to reverse the cuts, soften the economic blow for consumers, and make health care affordable again.

Over the last week, U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified on the Trump Administration's 2027 budget proposal, which would cut $15.8 billion from HHS and put new restrictions on those seeking Medicaid coverage - on top of the impacts of Trump's bill, which leaves millions at risk of losing insurance coverage. Secretary Kennedy tried and failed to defend Trump's $1 trillion cuts from Medicaid and the ACA in order to bankroll tax windfalls for billionaires and big corporations.

"President Trump is cutting health care and his regressive agenda is setting the stage for increases in chronic disease and higher medical bills. As a result, it is now harder for 22 million Americans to see a doctor when they're sick. Working people are already being forced to pay higher prices due to Trump's tariffs and war with Iran, and now he's doubling down on increasing health costs too. It is not just families who lost access to insurance that are suffering, President Trump's policies are causing health premiums to spike for those still in the system as well. It is irresponsible, undermines public health, and Democrats are demanding that Republicans take action to address affordability. Unfortunately, Republicans are prioritizing things like building a big, beautiful ballroom at taxpayer expense instead of putting patients and working families first," said Reed, who helped pass the Affordable Care Act, the landmark law that extended health insurance to millions of Americans while also setting standards for what that insurance must cover.

Since former President Barack Obama signed the ACA into law in 2010, the uninsured rate in America was cut by nearly half, with nearly 40 million Americans gaining health coverage. Under the law, Americans can no longer be denied insurance because of pre-existing conditions. Wellness exams, pregnancy, and mental health services must be covered by health insurance, and young adults without coverage of their own could stay longer under their parents' insurance plans.

But now, due to Trump's elimination of ACA assistance and massive cuts to Medicaid, millions of Americans are losing access to affordable care. To make matters worse, the Trump Administration's proposed 2027 budget, released early this month, would cut HHS spending by a further 12.5 percent, or nearly $16 billion.

Senator Reed warns that Republicans are wrong for thinking they can play the American people for fools and try to distract, shift blame, and duck responsibility. Senator Reed pointed out that just as people understand that Trump's actions in Iran are causing inflated prices at the fuel pump, they also are starting to see the true cost of Trump's health cuts when they see their premiums rise, costs go up, and it becomes harder for them to find a doctor who takes their insurance or more difficult to help their loved ones find a nursing home bed.

"Just because someone is not making big bucks doesn't mean they are lazy or undeserving of health care, or should be forced into bankruptcy by a medical emergency. We are the greatest country in the world and a place where every citizen should have access to affordable insurance and the ability to see a doctor. It is a lot smarter to invest in preventative medicine than to treat people in emergency rooms," said Senator Reed. "One of the first things Democrats will do after taking back Congress is undo the Republican cuts to Medicaid and preserve forward-looking, life-saving NIH funding," said Reed, pointing to the fact that the Trump Administration's budget would slash funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by $6 billion, taking away lifesaving resources to develop cures and treatments for Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, mental health disorders, opioid and substance use disorders, infectious diseases, and other conditions affecting millions of American families.

The Trump budget would also eviscerate the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by eliminating dozens of life-saving public health programs, including asthma prevention, diabetes prevention, heart disease and stroke prevention, HIV prevention, maternal health and safety, emergency preparedness grants to States, as well as gun violence prevention research.

During a private meeting that became public, Trump disclosed to donors that he thinks Medicaid, Medicare, and child care should be cut while war spending is put on steroids: "We're fighting wars," Trump said. "It's not possible for us to take care of daycare, Medicaid, Medicare … They can do it on a state basis. You can't do it on a federal. We have to take care of one thing: military protection."

Senator Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services strongly disagrees: "The notion that we have to choose between caring for our people or fighting wars is preposterous and wrong. President Trump started a war of choice and has not managed it well. His poor decision making is costing taxpayers severely and his overheated, careless rhetoric has weakened key alliances. We can and must ensure Americans can access affordable health care and keep our nation safe. It's not child care or nursing care that needs to stop - it's President Trump misleading the nation into costly and unnecessary wars that need to end," concluded Reed. "Instead of denying millions of Americans access to coverage, Republicans must start working with Democrats to reinstate health tax credits that make health insurance affordable again."

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