Rashida Tlaib Urges Constituents ‘Organize Our Backyard’ And Pressure State GOP Reps To Protect Medicaid

Forbes Breaking News

During a town hall event on Tuesday, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) called for constituents to urge state lawmakers to protect Medicaid.

Transcript

00:00So what can you do?

00:01Before we go into this, I think it's really important to know that, you know,

00:07many of my colleagues, Republican, even Democrats,

00:10it's very hard sometimes for them to be fully frank with everyone about the fact that,

00:16again, you're talking about health care, you're talking about Department of Education,

00:19you're talking about today I just was at Earth Day with EPA workers and everyone.

00:24Sometimes you're going to see folks say, oh, they're not cutting that,

00:26but they're cutting the federal workforce that runs the program.

00:30So pay attention to that.

00:32They may not, oh, we're not touching Social Security,

00:34but then they're cutting 50% of the Social Security Administration staff.

00:38So when you call, it's delayed.

00:40For instance, VA, I have the John Dingell VA, where there's a lot of John Dingell VA hospitals,

00:45and many of my folks go to that hospital specifically.

00:48And I can tell you, I have a gentleman, a veteran, outpatient surgery, outpatient care.

00:54They called him because they got rid of all the surgical tech folks.

00:58He's waiting another three months before he can come.

01:01It's not like people can stop being sick.

01:03It's not like people can stop, again, whatever the issues and challenges they have.

01:07And, again, these are promises we made to our constituents that we would have their back.

01:11And this is our money.

01:13Like, I hate that we don't see it that way, but it is ours.

01:16If there's anything that I think the American people want us to support,

01:20it's making sure, again, nobody plans to get sick.

01:22Nobody plans to have a disability.

01:25Nobody plans to come from serving our country with, you know, exposure to toxins.

01:30Nobody plans any of that.

01:33But they come back and we make a promise that we take care of each other.

01:38And, again, this is, again, them breaking that promise.

01:40What can you do?

01:41There's a lot you can do.

01:42One, you showed up.

01:43Thank you for that.

01:45You know, this is overwhelming because it's hard to believe it's only been, what, 12, 13 weeks at this?

01:55I know.

01:56I know.

01:57It's so hard to believe, but this is a lot in 13 weeks.

02:00But one thing we know is we need three to four Republicans.

02:05What can we do?

02:06We can organize our backyard.

02:08That's why I'm here.

02:08I said, if there's one thing Michigan can do is get one of the Republicans to create that wall that is needed.

02:15The hope that I have is in the Senate, when that budget proposal passed out of the House and it went to the Senate,

02:21again, one of the Missouri senators who I don't even, like, you know, I was, like, surprised he was doing it.

02:27He's from Missouri.

02:28And he introduced an amendment.

02:31I know, Jeff.

02:32I'm trying not to put their name out there.

02:34So, you know, because he did fix me something else.

02:37So, one of the things to know is, like, even when he offered that, I was, like, this is great.

02:41We're going to be able to take this in the Senate.

02:45And they almost got there.

02:47I think it only got a lot.

02:48We lost that amendment, and it was like a hands-off Medicaid.

02:51Don't touch Medicaid.

02:52It was a beautiful amendment, y'all.

02:54And in there, again, it was to protect Medicaid, and we did almost get there.

03:00I think Susan Collins and some other folks supported it.

03:03And, unfortunately, I think we were one or two votes different, too.

03:07A way from making that happen.

03:09So, then it comes back to the House.

03:11I was there.

03:12We were supposed to vote on and on a Wednesday or Thursday.

03:14I can't remember if it was a Wednesday.

03:16We waited for two and a half hours on the floor.

03:19And I said, wow, they must not have the vote.

03:21This is great.

03:21I know.

03:22I'm excited.

03:23And then I was like, oh, they don't have the vote.

03:25They don't have the vote.

03:26I don't know what happened overnight.

03:29You know, you've probably seen on the news.

03:30I'm sure people got called into the principal's office, the fascist's office.

03:35And I can tell you what happened, I think, is people change their, you know, change their

03:40move, change their mind.

03:41Because I'll tell you, people were getting quoted publicly.

03:43I didn't vote for that.

03:44No way.

03:45Heck no.

03:47And then all of a sudden, they pulled it up that following Thursday.

03:50And I was like, Thursday, Thursday.

03:51But it only got passed from 214 to 216, two vote difference.

03:59We're almost there, y'all.

04:00We're almost there.

04:01And if we can, again, this is a person, your member of Congress wants to run for governor.

04:11Oh, no.

04:13This is Medicaid, again, is impacting Michigan's folks from all over.

04:20And so I reiterate to you all, there's something we can do, we have control over, is to organize

04:27in the McComb County, all of you in the sub-congressional district can deliver one Republican.

04:31You are getting closer and saving our country.

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