Rep. George Whitesides Stands Against Harmful Budget that Cuts Medicaid, Hurts Local Hospitals, Raises Deficit

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. George Whitesides issued the following statement after voting against the harmful budget reconciliation package – now passed by both the House and the Senate – that imposes devastating cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) which hundreds of thousands of families in California’s 27th District rely on to stay healthy, housed, and fed:

“I came to Congress to make life easier, and more affordable, for my constituents – and I’m ready to work with anyone, from either party, to make that happen. But this bill rips health care away from our neighbors and takes food off the tables of families who are already struggling with high costs. This budget abandons working Americans across the country who are building a better life for themselves, while giving handouts to the wealthiest individuals and corporations in the country. After a number of my amendments – which would have protected health care and local jobs while delivering much-needed tax relief to my community – were rejected by Speaker Johnson and his caucus, I voted against this bill.”

After the Rules Committee rejected Rep. Whitesides’ amendment to protect Medicaid recipients and local health centers, he took to the House floor to propose blocking the Medicaid and SNAP cuts included in the bill, which was once again rejected by the Republican majority. 

The extreme Republican majority’s budget reconciliation bill will cause the following harms to millions of Californians:

• Up to 5 million adults could lose Medi-Cal due to new barriers. 2.4 million Covered California enrollees will face higher monthly costs, and up to 183,000 people could lose coverage altogether when the same Affordable Care Act credits expire at the end of 2025.
• The bill will cut CalFresh benefits for all 5.5 million California participants, and impose harsh time limits on assistance for 286,000 adults with school-age children and 201,000 older adults. It would also freeze the Thrifty Food Plan, locking in lower food aid levels and undermining future adjustments. California families will be forced to choose between putting food on the table, and paying other necessary expenses like health care, rent, or utility bills.
• The bill delivers tax cuts to the wealthiest at the expense of working families. It is the biggest wealth transfer from the lower- and middle-class to the top 1% of families in history.

Additionally, the proposed resolution rips away the following support from students, veterans, seniors, and working families across the country:

• Local Hospitals – The proposed federal budget bill slashes Medicaid and Affordable Care Act credits to pay for partisan tax breaks. Local hospitals that rely on this funding will face major revenue losses, higher uncompensated care costs, and reduced access for vulnerable patients.
• Healthcare – Guts Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act, which will rip care from 17 million Americans.  The bill could cause the closure of more than 300 rural hospitals and over 500 nursing homes. These cuts disproportionately hurt seniors, low-income families, and people in underserved areas.
• Cost of Housing – Slashes support from housing and consumer protection efforts by cutting programs for low-income multifamily housing and reducing Consumer Financial Protection Bureau funding. The bill also rescinds key investments in infrastructure and drains the HUD retrofit program, threatening affordable housing access for struggling families.
• Food Assistance – Cuts food assistance programs like SNAP, while throwing millions off benefits and adding burdensome paperwork requirements. The Congressional Budget Office estimates 270,000 veterans, homeless individuals, and former foster youth will lose access under this bill.
• Energy Costs – Raises utility bills by removing federal incentive programs that help families and businesses save money. The bill also eliminates a series of sustainable projects that will create local jobs.
• National Institutes of Health (NIH) – This bill cuts funding for NIH, which would eliminate Congressional directives to support biomedical research priorities, including directives related to research on cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, ALS, heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, mental health, maternal mortality, infectious diseases, genetic diseases, rare diseases, and countless other health conditions.

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