Congressional Republicans Want To Gut Medicaid— As Long As No One Losing Their Healthcare Knows

Democrats Are Fighting Back

Republican incumbents in districts where no one gets elected without a coalition that includes independent voters are petrified over the GOP plan to gut Medicaid— 800-some odd billion dollars worth— to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy. They’re squirmin’ and wormin’ to try to pretend that voting for the GOP budget doesn’t really mean you’re cutting healthcare for tens of millions of Americans, just fighting abuse and waste. Democratic candidates are holding them accountable. And ads have already started flowing and are up on air.

Yesterday, Max Cohen reported that though the DCCC has decided to give Long Island Republican Nick LaLota a free pass, other Democrats aren’t. This ad was put online by a nursing home advocacy organization.

Deceptively, LaLota responded that he’s “been fighting to protect Medicaid, getting those without legal immigration status off the rolls, requiring work for able-bodied adults and eliminating waste, fraud and abuse.” He’s lying and his Democratic opponent, Lukas Ventouras, didn’t shy away from blowing the whistle on him... loudly: “Nick Lalota is a liar first and foremost. Anyone with the gall to record an ad claiming he isn’t doing the thing he is absolutely doing, should be nowhere near power. It’s shameless and psychopathic. Suffolk county deserves better. Suffolk county residents using Medicaid for their healthcare, whether it be seniors, the disabled, or lower income families, are being lied to and having their healthcare sold down the river by LaLota, a representative whose sole purpose in life is to help the rich get richer, and screw over the everyday American in the process. He wants to cut your benefits, to fund tax cuts for the 1%. He is bought and paid for by the oligarchs, and he must be stopped.” (Help Ventouras stop him here.)

Other petrified Republicans like Derrick Van Orden (WI), Juan Ciscomani (AZ), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA) and Rob Bresnahan (PA) also ate trying to hoodwink their constituents into believing they are just fighting fraud in Medicare and Medicaid, not stealing anyone’s benefits. Miller-Meeks’ progressive opponent, Travis Terrell’s response is that “While real Americans are getting crushed by price gouging on everything from groceries to gas to life-saving medicine, Mariannette Miller-Meeks is back in Washington doing what she does best— fighting for another tax break for billionaires. Not for you, not for your family— for the people she actually works for. And if you’re wondering why, good luck getting an answer. She refuses to hold town halls, refuses to face her constituents, and runs from anyone who dares to ask her a real question. But let’s not pretend we don’t know why— because every time she votes, she shows us exactly who she’s working for. And it’s not the people of Iowa. It’s the ones flying private while we’re gasping for air under the weight of rising costs.” Watch this one:

It’s not clear yet which Democrat will be taking on Ken Calvert this cycle. There are several Democrats lining up to run, including, musician Tim Myers, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 isn’t waiting around to see who wins the primary. The union is already running this on district TV: