Rep. McIver Blasts Potential Cuts To Medicaid At Town Hall In NJ-10

WEST ORANGE, NJ — U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver recently held a town hall in North Jersey to discuss potential cuts to Medicaid under the Trump administration. She represents several towns in Essex, Hudson, Union counties.

Last month, the U.S. House of Representatives voted in favor of a preliminary federal budget bill that calls for $2 trillion in cuts. While it doesn’t specifically target Medicaid, the bill directs the House Energy and Commerce Committee – which oversees the program – to cut $880 billion over the next 10 years. It’s a number that some pundits say can’t be met without slashing Medicaid.

The vote isn’t the final step in the budgeting process. The U.S. Senate has passed their own version of the bill and the two chambers of Congress will have to hammer out a compromise version through a process known as reconciliation.

The House vote represents a major win for President Donald Trump, who remarked that it paves the way for his “full America First Agenda – everything, not just parts of it.” The president said that the passage of the House budget would move Congress towards “one big beautiful bill.”

During the first Cabinet meeting of his new term, Trump said there are no plans to touch Medicaid, Social Security or Medicare benefits. It’s a claim that he has repeated “over and over again,” according to White House spokespeople, who say U.S. taxpayers lose as much as $521 billion annually to fraud — and most of that is within programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.

Some of New Jersey’s Democratic House members are dubious about Republican claims that Medicaid will remain untouched, however – including Rep. McIver.

McIver – who was one of New Jersey’s nine Democratic House members to vote against the bill – held a town hall at Liberty Middle School in West Orange on Friday. The event was also attended by a panel of local health experts and advocates, and more than 200 community members.

According to the congresswoman, the cuts proposed under last month’s bill could threaten Medicaid coverage for more than 200,000 residents in New Jersey’s 10th District (see towns below).

“Republicans voted to make cuts to Medicaid, but we will keep mobilizing and showing them New Jersey does not want cuts to critical services,” McIver charged. “We still hold the power—our voices are still the power and we are powerful when we apply pressure.”

McIver was joined by Cathy Chin, executive director of the Alliance for the Betterment of Citizens with Disabilities, Jason Elliston, a provider with Metropolitan Federal Health Network Jersey City, and Cathy Tamburello, a Medicaid advocate and caregiver.

The 10th District includes the following municipalities: Caldwell, East Orange, Essex Fells, Irvington, Montclair (part), Newark (part), Orange, Verona, West Orange in Essex County; Jersey City (part) in Hudson County; Cranford, Garwood, Hillside, Kenilworth, Linden (part), Roselle, Roselle Park, Union Township in Union County.

• Read More: House Budget Bill Could Slash Medicaid; See How NJ Reps Voted

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