U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) held a town hall meeting in Albuquerque on Tuesday to express concerns about proposed Republican legislation that they say would drastically cut critical federal programs. The lawmakers warned that Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and SNAP benefits for New Mexicans are at risk.
An analysis by the Center for American Progress, a center-left policy think tank, estimated that in New Mexico, 86,000 people would lose health insurance, 148,000 people would lose some or all of their SNAP benefits and 11,820 jobs would be eliminated by the cuts.
The town hall came after a House vote that advanced legislation proposing significant cuts to health care and food assistance programs, coupled with tax breaks for wealthy Americans.
“This Republican-led bill is a total rip-off for New Mexicans – all to line the pockets of people like President Trump and Elon Musk,” Luján said. “The Republicans’ priorities couldn’t be more clear: tax handouts for billionaires and massive corporations, paid for by cutting health care, food assistance, and benefits for New Mexicans. We are not backing down. In the Senate, I’m going to keep fighting for our seniors, our children, and the future of New Mexico.”
Stansbury also criticized the Republican proposal, stating that it would result in the largest reductions to Medicaid and nutrition assistance in U.S. history.
“We are in the fight of our lives for our communities, our democracy, and to make life better for our people. Every day, I am deeply honored to be in this fight for New Mexico alongside Senator Luján and our entire congressional delegation. Together we are working to defend our rights and Constitution and to tackle our biggest challenges from healthcare, housing and education to caring for our veterans and protecting our lands and waters,” Stansbury said. “I am grateful to everyone who showed up to our town hall and who is speaking up and speaking out against the GOPs disastrous reconciliation bill, which will gut Medicaid and food assistance for millions of Americans. As this bill heads to the Senate and the GOP continues to gut programs, we need you in this fight.”
The proposed House GOP legislation includes:
- Cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, potentially affecting health care access for millions.
- Cuts to SNAP, reducing food assistance for children, families, and seniors.
- Potential financial losses for many Americans making less than $51,000 a year.
- 65% of the benefits going to the wealthiest Americans.
- An estimated $4.6 trillion increase to the national debt over the next decade, according to a Wharton study.
The lawmakers urged the public to remain engaged as the bill moves to the Senate.
Too many Democrats and Media folks will note something Trump said, and immediately report that his claim is baseless, or without evidence, or whatever.
You need to do the same with what Stansbury and Lujan claim in this article. For instance:
Cuts to Medicaid: There are several million able-bodied people who are able-bodied and who got access to Medicaid as a result of the Covid shutdown. That shutdown is over, and these people are now back at work, and should be partaking in the medical benefits of their employer – not staying on the dole and soaking up free Medicaid paid for by us taxpayers.
Cuts to SNAP: Same sort of claim of eligibility for those who have jobs or who should be working. The budget bill has provisions for work requirements, very similar to the ones enacted some time ago under DEMOCRAT Bill Clinton. Remember him?
Potential losses to people making $51k: Potential is NOT actual. Ask for page and paragraph in the bill.
Benefits for the wealthy: Not a new thing – the bill continues the tax cuts of Trump’s first term, it does not increase them. These are NOT new benefits at the expense of those who are not “wealthy.” A tax bill is for people who actually pay taxes, and about half the citizenry have enough deductions that they pay zero income tax. The wealthiest pay over 80% of the income tax the IRS collects already – what right do those who don’t pay that much, to claim the wealthy don’t pay a “fair share”?
$4.6 trillion debt over a decade: That is $460 billion per year, which is actually a REDUCTION of debt by about a $trillion PER YEAR from what the Biden administration allowed.
Please – do some investigative reporting. It’s more important to get it right than to get it first.
Robbing the poor to feed the rich
They lie. Its very clear who will be inpacted. Those who abuse our earned benefits.