It’s my job as Nevada’s U.S. Senator to represent the interests of the people of Nevada and to be their voice in Washington. That’s why I am committed to using my seat at the table to oppose Congressional Republicans’ budget bill that would orchestrate the largest transfer of wealth from the poor and working class to the ultra-rich that this country has ever seen.
The so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” that President Trump and Congressional Republicans are pushing is part of their effort to give tax cuts to billionaires at the expense of working families in Nevada and across America.
I don’t say that lightly. I have and will continue to work with people across the political spectrum – Democratic, Republican, and independent – who want to work with me to improve Americans’ lives. I have passed legislation that has been signed
into law by President Trump. So when I say that I oppose Republicans’ budget bill, it’s because it would be devastating for Nevada families.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analyzes the economic impact of many bills that come through Congress, and its accuracy has spoken for itself during both Democratic and Republican administrations. The CBO’s analysis says this budget bill contains nearly $1 trillion in health care cuts, including over $800 billion in cuts to Medicaid. The CBO says this bill would kick 16 million Americans off their health insurance over the next ten years.
In Nevada, that means about 107,766 people will lose their health care. That’s not just a number. It represents our most vulnerable community members: seniors, children, veterans, parents of children with rare diseases, pregnant women, and our elderly in nursing homes.
I’m hearing from Nevada hospital representatives and providers every day about how because of this bill, they’re bracing for the impact this billionaire tax giveaway will have on care and costs.
When people lose coverage, they delay their care. A single mom who’s living paycheck to paycheck and is worried about putting food on the table for her kids isn’t going to go to the doctor if she has a persistent cough. She’ll wait.
But that means that when her cough turns serious, making it hard for her to breathe, she’ll have to go to the emergency room for treatment. By then, it’s more dangerous for her and more expensive for everyone involved.
The hospital she goes to has to treat her, regardless of whether or not she has health insurance. If she can’t pay, the hospital is on the hook for the cost of her care.
Situations like that could force hospitals like we have in rural Nevada, which are already under-resourced and overwhelmed, to scale back their operations, cut services, or close altogether because they just can’t afford the cost of staying open.
Depending on where they live, many Nevadans sometimes have to drive hours to see their doctor. A hospital closure would be devastating for those families who are trying to access basic health care.
This bill would also impact Nevadans who rely on the Affordable Care Act for their medical insurance. It cuts almost $300 billion from ACA Marketplace Plans, which would kick about 39,000 Nevada small business owners, middle-class families, and legal immigrants like Dreamers off their health care.
It would increase Medicare premiums for over 1 million seniors and could end health care coverage for 1.5 million children.
For those who don’t immediately get kicked off their health insurance as a result of cuts to Medicaid, Congressional Republicans want to implement burdensome work reporting requirements so they can take away coverage from even more Americans.
In Nevada, over 67% of Medicaid recipients are already working. But if this bill passes, they’ll have to jump through even more government reporting hoops to prove that they work.
To top it all off, kicking millions of Americans off their health care wouldn’t even cover the cost of this billionaire tax giveaway budget. According to the CBO, this bill would also add $2.77 trillion to our national deficit.
This budget bill President Trump and Republicans in Congress are trying to pass does not work for America’s hardworking families, and it certainly doesn’t work for Nevada. I will continue to do my job as your Senator by opposing this bill and working toward a better solution that will actually lower costs, protect Nevadans’ health care, and benefit all Americans – not just the billionaire class.
