For Immediate Release: Wednesday, February 26, 2025

Contact: Jack Cardinal, jcardinal@communitycatalyst.org

Gutting Medicaid To Pay For Tax Cuts To Billionaires Is “Dangerous and Shameful”; House Vote Puts Health Care Coverage For Tens Of Millions In Serious Doubt
Following the House vote on their budget resolution, Mona Shah, Senior Director of Policy and Strategy at Community Catalyst, released the following statement:

“Nearly every Republican in the House of Representatives voted to significantly cut Medicaid, putting the health care of tens of millions of people at risk to fund tax cuts for the wealthiest individuals. Cutting vital health care programs in favor of tax breaks for billionaires is deeply concerning and goes against what most people want.

“Medicaid is a backbone of American health care, covering more than 72 million people across race, income, and geography. Those who will be harmed most by the cuts include older adults in long-term care, children, and people with disabilities. 

“The real impact of these devastating cuts will be on families who rely on Medicaid for essential, life-saving care. Republican claims that these cuts will strengthen the economy are bogus. The plan passed by House Republicans will drive up medical debt, force more people into emergency rooms, and leave families with impossible choices between life and debt. “These cuts will hit hardest where health care access is already fragile due to racism, classism and other forms of oppression—including rural communities, families with low incomes, and people with disabilities. Millions of women and children rely on Medicaid for critical preventive care, such as cancer screenings and maternity care, particularly in states where Medicaid expansion has helped keep rural hospitals open and reduced infant mortality. 

“We should be demanding billionaires pay their fair share in taxes, not giving them massive tax breaks at the expense of our health and economic well-being. The Senate should reject this cruel and dangerous bill.”

Community Catalyst, alongside dozens of local, state, and national partners, is working to protect Medicaid—powered by the hundreds of thousands of people affected by these cuts. Their voices are building collective power to fight back. People like Beyssa Buil in Florida, who shares her story to advocate for health justice, remind us what’s at stake and why this fight matters. Join the movement by sharing your story here. 

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About Community Catalyst:

Community Catalyst is a national organization dedicated to building the power of people to create a health system rooted in race equity and health justice, and a society where health is a right for all. We’re an experienced, trusted partner to organizations across the country, a change agent to policymakers at the local, state, and national level, and both an adversary and a collaborator to health systems in our efforts to advance health justice. We partner with local, state and national organizations and leaders to leverage and build power so that people are at the center of important decisions about health and health care, whether they are made by health care executives, in state houses, or on Capitol Hill. Together with partners, we’re building a powerful, united movement with a shared vision of and strategy for a health system accountable to all people. Learn more at www.communitycatalyst.org.