Washington, DC — Today, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told reporters that work reporting requirements are a red line in debt ceiling negotiations. Already, House Republicans have passed a radical bill to cut Medicaid and rip coverage away from 21 million Americans — disproportionately impacting people of color, rural Americans, and people with disabilities. In response, Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach issued the following statement:
“President Biden did the right thing taking Medicaid cuts off the table in debt negotiations. Adding paperwork requirements may be a red line for McCarthy, but it means cutting off a vital lifeline for 21 million people who count on Medicaid — which is the exact result MAGA Republicans want. There is no room for work reporting requirements in Medicaid, SNAP, or TANF.
“For Republicans who have mounted a decades-long war on American health care, these so-called work requirements serve the same purpose as the GOP ongoing efforts to repeal or sabotage the ACA — deny people the health coverage they need in order to protect tax breaks for billionaires. The American people have repeatedly rejected Republican efforts to slash American health care, and President Biden and congressional Democrats must stand firm against the GOP’s latest scheme to deny care to millions of Americans.”