
The representative of Malcolm Kenyatta (D-D-Liladelphia) condemned the “large, beautiful bill” during a press conference outside Pennsylvania Capitol. (Photo Capital-Star by Vincent Difcentzo)
Democrats from Pennsylvania stood on the capital on Monday in Harrisburg and called Republicans to oppose in the authorization programs that pass through Congress.
“They do not want to talk about this huge negative impact that so many Pennsylvania will have on the quality of life,” said the leader of the minority of the Senate Jay Costa (D-Allegheny). “It’s not too late to join us, be part of the discussion” no “.
The proposed federal cuts of expenses are part of what the Republicans call “a large, beautiful bill”, a budget reconciliation package, which includes a significant part of President Donald Trump’s program. The bill has already passed and may be adopted by the US Senate with a elementary majority vote, which Republicans can collect without democratic support.
The Act will extend Trump’s tax reduction in 2017, which are to expire and raise the financing of immigration law enforcement. To balance the costs, it includes dramatic cuts of expenses, especially in authorization programs. Though Found an impartial Congress Budget Office Over the next 10 years, it can add $ 3.8 trillion.
Democrats in Harrisburg say that the cuts of expenses will have a dramatic impact on Pennsylvania. They warned that this could cause hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania lost their range of Medicaid, and tens of thousands of loss of access to food aid programs, such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP). They say that the state has no funds to make up for it.
Senator Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia), chairman of the Senate minority, said that there is no place to compensate for potential federal cuts with state financing.
“Knowing the state budget, as I know him, we know that we are not able to satisfy any of these cuts,” said Capital-Star.
According to the leftist Think Tank Pennsylvania Policy Center, The bill covers about $ 600 billion cuts on Medicaid expenses within 10 yearsand would introduce recent work requirements for people covered by the program. They say that the result may mean that over half a million Pennsylvania will lose health care.
According to the Social Welfare Department, about 23% of Pennsylvania or about 3 million people are covered by Medicaid.
Rep. Arvind Venkat (D-Allegheny), who is also a lifeguard, said before the extension of the Act on inexpensive care, 20% of his patients did not have health insurance.
“They would come to the emergency department too late to treat them, and this is a real matter,” he said. The reason why some gave him fear of medical debt they were gathering because they were uninsured.
He is worried that he will be repeated if more people lose insurance
“We must cause cynicism from our Republican colleagues from Congress. On the one hand, they say they don’t want to implement anyone,” said Venkat. “But then he is eager to boast that they will save $ 1.7 trillion in reduced federal financing. And the only way it happens is that people will lose insurance or stop looking for healthcare when they need it.”
Republican defenders of the Act claim that cuts are the result of the elimination of fraud and waste, and will eventually reduce expenses to facilitate restore the balloon budget in the queue.
Republican Senator Dave McCormick did not answer questions from capital stars, but asked the law during a television debate with a democratic senator John Fetterman on Monday morning.
He said that the expenses of rights grew and assigned it to the raise in claims of people for whom benefits were never allocated.
“They are men without living, and in many cases there are illegal immigrants,” said McCormick. “So I am arguing about the fact that we have to cut the use of these programs … by people for whom they have not been designed.”
The agreement account would also reduce SNAP expenditure by almost $ 300 billion, According to the Pennsylvania Policy Centerby reducing part of the expenditure of the federal government. This will also raise work requirements. At present, parents raising children under 18 are not obliged to meet them, but the bill would reduce the age of the qualifying for maintenance to 7. Persons 55 and the elderly are also not obliged to meet the requirements, but the bill would change it to 65 and more.
The Secretary of Human Services in Pennsylvania Val Arkoosh warned that 140,000 Pennsylvania may lose access to the food assistance program along with changes in work requirements. According to the department Latest dataIn 2023, about 2 million Pennsylvania received SNAP benefits each month.
“This bill would be the biggest limitation of food aid in US history,” said Costa.
He added that the bill may mean the cuts of the Farmers Market nutrition program, which pays farmers to provide fresh food for seniors and people who receive nutritional facilitate programs, babies and children (so).
Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D-D-Liladelphia), vice president of the Democratic National Committee, called on Republicans to join his party in the opposition.
“I think we have the opportunity to stop it, but the problem is that they are only democrats,” he said.
The spokesman for the leader of most Senate Joe Pittman (R-Indiana) and the President of the Senate Pro Tempore Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland) did not answer questions from the capital star.
At the moment, the US Senate will probably introduce changes to the act before restoring it to the chamber. Many Republicans of the Senate raised concerns about how much the bill can raise the deficit.
Populist senator Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) raised concerns about the cuts of Medicaid, which he called “Morally bad and political suicide.”
Governor Josh Shapiro also warned about the rapid impact if the version of the Act is adopted. He said that this could affect not only patients, but hospitals that are based on Medicaid funds.
“We have 25 rural hospitals that are currently operating on a deficit that would probably have to flash if these medicaid cuts are in force,” said Shapiro at a press conference on Monday morning in Harrisburg.
“I certainly hope that our federal representatives do not vote for something that takes students from Pennsylvania or seniors of Pennsylvania and everyone between them,” he added.