00:00Excuse me, three minutes for an opening statement.
00:02Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
00:04Under the cover of night, House Republicans proposed the largest Medicaid cuts in history,
00:09all to pay for tax breaks for billionaires.
00:12They hope the American people won't notice until it's too late.
00:16And today in this hearing, we should be starting with talking about Medicaid and the health care.
00:21For months, Republicans told the American people that their budget would not cut Medicaid.
00:26That is not true.
00:28And today they continue to say it.
00:31Don't believe it.
00:33For months, Republicans hid the truth from their constituents and refused to do town halls.
00:37If you will not stand up, if Republicans will not stand up, Democrats will.
00:43Today we are joined by Sasha.
00:45Sasha, please stand.
00:48Sasha is a constituent who came from New Jersey's 7th District, represented by Congressman Tom Kane.
00:54She was born with cerebral palsy, and the right side of her body doesn't function due to a stroke she had in her mother's womb.
01:03Since she was seven years old, Sasha has suffered from seizures.
01:07Her mother, Lana, who is also here, quit her job to care for Sasha.
01:12Without Medicaid, Sasha would not have the resources to access treatment, medications, or doctor visits to help her be healthy and independent.
01:22Thanks to Medicaid, Sasha has thrived as a college student and a Special Olympics athlete.
01:28Sasha shares, and I quote,
01:29Yet this monstrous Republican budget leaves millions of people behind.
01:53This bill cuts Medicaid, plain and simple, and it also attacks Medicare, the Children's Health Insurance Program, and the Health Insurance Marketplace.
02:03It kicks at least 13.7 million Americans off of Medicaid and the Health Insurance Marketplace.
02:11Under this bill, Sasha could lose everything.
02:14Sasha and Lana could be buried in red tape, forced to navigate burdensome paperwork and eligibility checks.
02:20The services Sasha relies on, transportation, personal care, community-based support, could be first on the chopping block when states are forced to absorb Medicaid cuts.
02:31Who here is standing up for Sasha and millions of people like her?
02:35Sasha has asked Congress, please think about individuals like me.
02:39When making decisions about the future of Medicaid, we cannot afford to lose the essential support that Medicaid provides.
02:45I respectfully ask you to stand against any cuts to this program and instead protect it so that people like me can continue to live and thrive in our community, end quote.
02:55Democrats stand with you, Sasha, in opposing any Medicaid cuts.
03:00We need just four Republicans to join us.
03:03I hope we can find them, and I hope one is your Congress member.
