'Why Would Any Government Do These Things?': Dick Durbin Mercilessly Shreds BBB Medicaid Cuts

Forbes Breaking News

During a speech on the Senate floor Tuesday, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke about the Big Beautiful Bill.

Transcript

00:00Mr. President, this weekend, across the country, we observe our nation's 249th Independence

00:07Day, a day intended to celebrate a government of, by and for the people, in Lincoln's words.

00:13But this Independence Day was anything but a celebration in one respect.

00:18That's because this Fourth of July, the President and Congressional Republicans decided to sign

00:25what has been called the Big Beautiful Bill.

00:30And in so doing, they retreated from the values that our founders etched into the declaration

00:35that all men are created equal, not just the wealthy and well-connected.

00:41Americans across this nation overwhelmingly oppose this bill, and for good reason.

00:47You see, this bill, signed by the President on the Fourth of July, was the largest cut

00:51in health care and the largest cut in nutrition assistance in history, slashing more than

00:58$1 trillion from health care programs like Medicaid and $200 billion from the SNAP program.

01:0517 million Americans will lose their health insurance.

01:10Health insurance premiums will rise for another 20 million Americans.

01:14Three million people will have food taken off the table, including kids, seniors, and veterans.

01:20I can't understand the celebration of the facts that I've just read.

01:25I've heard misstatements.

01:26One misstatement was, don't worry, the people who will be taken off Medicare will be the illegal

01:31immigrants.

01:32They're not eligible for Medicaid, and they are certainly not in that calculation of 17 million

01:39Americans.

01:41Why do we do these things?

01:42Why would any government do these things to so many innocent people?

01:46In this case, very simply, to give tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans and the biggest

01:51corporations.

01:54Richest Americans will be seeing $400,000 more in tax cuts in their pockets every year because

02:00of this legislation.

02:02I don't know how their lifestyle, if you're a millionaire or something like that, and you

02:07get a tax break of $400,000.

02:10What does that money do to change your life?

02:12Well, I can tell you this.

02:15One thing that will change your life forever is to face a dramatic medical challenge in

02:20your family and not have health insurance to cover you.

02:24I've been there, and I've lived through that.

02:27It's something you never wish on anyone, and yet 17 million Americans, unfortunately, will

02:33lose their health insurance under this bill, the big, beautiful bill signed by President Trump.

02:39Despite a last-ditch effort, there was a failing attempt at buying votes and pretending to care

02:45about rural areas like my area of downstate Illinois.

02:50More than 300 rural hospitals and 500 nursing homes may be forced to close by these cutbacks

02:55in Medicaid.

02:58That's because this big, beautiful bill cripples the Medicaid program that keeps our rural hospitals

03:03and their communities afloat.

03:06That includes HSHS, St. Francis Hospital in Litchfield, Illinois, where Medicaid pays for

03:1253% of the hospitalizations.

03:16And OSF St. Clair Hospital in Princeton, Illinois, where Medicaid covers 45% of hospitalizations.

03:31The administrators in these hospitals have warned us this could be the breaking point.

03:36Many of these hospitals barely survive, barely keep their doors open.

03:40And how all these hospitals, already operating in the margins, may face impossible decisions

03:46to scale back services.

03:47For what?

03:48To pay for tax breaks to the wealthiest people in this country.

03:53Aside from the hospital, this bill will also have a major consequence on American energy.

03:58I commend to my colleagues and those who are following this debate today's New York Times

04:04and an article by Thomas Friedman.

04:07He talks about the impact on energy from the decisions made by the signing of this bill.

04:12This bill kills solar, wind, and EV tax credits enjoyed by companies and consumers alike.

04:20All but ceding the future of electricity to China and risking billions of dollars on investments

04:25in renewable energy.

04:27Ironically, mostly in Republican states.

04:31And while working families grapple with the consequences cut, they're going to see the family home expenses

04:37increase by $1,000 a year.

04:39Utility bills are going up because of this bill.

04:42This bill signed by the President, the big, beautiful bill.

04:46The Chicago Tribune recently shared a story of Isaiah Rogers, a 61-year-old man who lives

04:52in the West Pullman neighborhood in Chicago.

04:55Several years ago, Isaiah was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

04:59As a result of his diagnosis, he's not been able to return to his job, trimming trees,

05:04and he's been working in small side jobs.

05:07Medicaid pays for Isaiah's doctor's visits and his insulin.

05:12A single father without a high school degree, Isaiah is concerned that the bill's cuts and

05:17changes to Medicaid will result in his losing his health coverage.

05:22And if Isaiah loses Medicaid, he'll no longer be able to afford his insulin and other medications.

05:27He may face a diabetic complication or coma or even suffer a stroke.

05:34What will that mean to his 12-year-old son?

05:37It's unconscionable to think that the other party would pull the plug on life-saving health coverage

05:42and deny food to our most needy children, but that's exactly what they voted for and celebrated

05:48on July 4th.

05:49As Republicans moved this mega bill through Congress, Democrats did our best in the minority

05:55to push back.

05:57Over the course of 27 hours, Senate Democrats forced votes on many amendments to put Republicans

06:04on notice and show their constituents what their real positions are on issues.

06:09It was the longest photorama in the history of the Senate.

06:13It included putting Republicans on the record voting against nursing home care, home health

06:18care, food assistance for children and veterans, protections for Medicaid, clean energy jobs,

06:24and the list goes on.

06:26And an expansion of the child tax credit, an idea that has proven successful, all was sacrificed

06:33to give billionaires tax cuts instead.

06:35In the end, three sensible Senate Republicans looked at this ugly betrayal of a bill and

06:43agreed they couldn't be part of the process.

06:46I commend them.

06:47I commend them.

06:48But sadly, three votes on the other side of the aisle wasn't enough.

06:51We needed one more.

06:52And who swooped in to cast his vote, the decisive vote?

06:56Vice President Vance.

06:58He showed up at the last minute, cast a tie-breaking vote in the Senate to push the bill across the

07:03finish line.

07:04A few short years ago, then-Vice President Harris broke a tie in this chamber to pass the

07:09largest climate investment bill in history and to lower prescription drug prices for millions

07:15of Americans.

07:16What a sharp contrast.

07:19This Vice President cast a deciding vote that would be painful for so many families across

07:24America.

07:25We could have done so much more and so much better for the people of this nation.

07:30That's the difference in priorities.

07:32In politics, it basically boils down to whose side are you on?

07:36As the effects of this bill take shape and slither their way through our communities, my

07:40Republican colleagues will have to look their constituents in the eye and explain their votes.

07:45They'll have to explain to the former, who now must drive an additional 50 miles to the

07:50nearest hospital, why they had to shut the community hospital doors.

07:53They'll have to explain to the grandmother in a nursing home why our care is being slimmed down

07:58or eliminated because it cut back some Medicaid.

08:01They'll have to explain to the young mother, preparing to have her baby, why there's no

08:06longer a maternity ward in her county.

08:09This bill flies in the face of American values that we celebrate on Fourth of July and everything

08:14we stand for.

08:15The other party has a lot of explaining to do and the American people are going to face the

08:20right now.

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