House Speaker Mike Johnson’s constituents are pleading with him to protect the anti-poverty programs they rely on to stay afloat.
House Republicans recently adopted a budget blueprint that ordered the Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees Medicare and Medicaid funding, to cut $880 billion in a bill to advance Trump’s agenda including tax cuts for billionaires.
It is in places like Johnson’s deep red, rural Louisiana district where the loss of these programs will be felt the most. An NBC News analysis found that nearly 25% of adults under age 65 rely on Medicaid and nearly 20% of households receive food stamps.
Pastor Leroy McClelland, who volunteers at a local food bank, told NBC he would be in a serious “bind” without government assistance. McClelland said he relies on Medicaid and food stamps after suffering several medical issues.
“People can’t do without it,” McClelland said. “So I would tell them [Congress] to help us out. Help us. People are hurting out here. And you may be from Louisiana, but you’re the House speaker. Cross the aisle. Work together to do whatever you got to do. That’s my message.”
McClelland is not alone.
Summer Stinson, a mother of four who was picking up food at the food bank told the outlet that the prospect of cuts to social safety net programs has been weighing heavily on her mind.
“My children are on Medicaid,” she said. “So yes, I do. I do fear that very much, and they make it to where insurance isn’t really affordable with our companies. I don’t know what we would do without it.”
Dwayne Dousay, a retired environmental microbiologist, who is the primary caregiver for his adult-age disabled grandson, said “I don’t know what we would do without them. I really don’t. It’s been tough.”
Dousay’s grandson receives Medicaid and other forms of government assistance from the state.
At a recent press conference, Johnson insisted that Medicaid won’t be cut, instead claiming that Republicans are only concerned with rooting out waste, fraud and abuse.
“Medicaid is hugely problematic because it has a lot of fraud, waste and abuse,” Johnson said. “Everybody is committed to preserving Medicaid benefits for those who desperately need it and deserve it and qualify for it. What we’re talking about is rooting out the fraud, waste and abuse.”
But, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Republicans cannot pass Trump’s agenda or meet their own budget target without making significant cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and SNAP.
