Arizona Senators Rally Against Proposed Medicaid Reductions
In a bid to address potential federal funding cuts to Medicaid, Arizona Senators Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly organized a town hall in Scottsdale, highlighting the implications of such reductions. The discussion drew a concerned crowd, including parents like Quianna Brown, who voiced fears over the future of essential services.
Quianna Brown, a mother from central Phoenix, expressed her distress over the looming budget cuts that threaten the support her 10-year-old daughter receives through Arizona’s Medicaid program, AHCCCS. Addressing the senators, she implored, “Would you mind telling your colleagues in Washington that when they’re burning down this house, there’s people still inside? My kid is inside.”
Brown shared her worries about safeguarding her daughter’s well-being, stating, “I wanted more. I think as a parent at any time where you feel that you can’t protect your kid, you want a game plan.”
Senator Gallego attributed the proposed Medicaid reductions to the Trump administration’s objectives. He remarked, “There’s no way they get to those tax cuts without cutting Medicaid. The math doesn’t math.”
Senator Kelly emphasized the widespread impact even minor Medicaid reductions could have on Arizona residents. He linked the potential cuts to efforts aimed at reducing taxes for the wealthy and large corporations, explaining that the resulting $880 billion decrease in funding for programs like AHCCCS would address the increasing national debt.
Kelly elaborated, “So that would then bring their 6 trillion number down to 4 trillion, and it doesn’t look as bad. But you got to remember, all of this – all of this stuff you’re hearing every single day is so they can give a big, giant tax cut to people who don’t need a tax cut.”
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