I don’t often publish garbage, but when I do, it’s definitely not my own writing. How many of you received a similar email today from your Republican representatives?
Wait, what happened?
In case you’re wondering what vote he’s talking about, the House of Representatives voted on a budget bill at 1 AM on Thursday. This bill seeks to cut over $1 trillion from basic needs programs that help low-income people get health care and put food on the table through Medicaid, Medicare, and SNAP. Was the $1 trillion cut necessary to pull down the debt? No. It was done to transfer money from programs for the poor and give tax breaks to the richest people in history.
So let’s dive into the lies.
“Wittman votes to protect Medicaid.”
Throughout the email, various references exist to this concept of protecting Medicaid. Other phrases include “investments”, “throughout the reconciliation process I’ve fought to protect and preserve Medicaid…”, “[the bill] secures protection for pregnant women, single mothers, children, seniors, individuals with disabilities.”
Cutting $700 billion from a program is not an investment. It’s literally the opposite of an investment. Removing 15 million people from the program over the next decade - which includes the list he mentioned he’d protect - will not only lead to poorer health outcomes and more medical debt, but also lead to people dying miserable deaths. A lot of those people will be forced to work and, to Republicans, forced labor is being heralded as freedom. This is a chilling thought because it feels like a reference to a quote used by Nazis and hung over the Auschwitz gate: “Arbiet macht frei” - work makes one free.
Wittman, like every other Republican Representative, did no such thing to protect Medicaid. He voted TWICE to cut it in the initial budget phase a couple of months ago. After the second vote, he sent a letter to leadership trying to save face that he wants to protect Medicaid. So when the 1 AM vote on Thursday came, did Representative Wittman share an impassioned plea on the need to protect Medicaid? Did he offer a fiery smash of the button as he pressed N for NAY on the bill?
Hardly.
“Lower energy costs.”
With SNAP, the more deductions you can use to bring your net income down, the higher your SNAP benefit can be. The bill explicitly removes non-disabled and non-elderly people from being able to use certain utility payments as income deductions when applying for SNAP. In a time with increasing costs for utilities and groceries, every dollar matters. This not only doesn’t lower energy costs, but it hits poor people with a double sucker punch.
“Three months of groceries”
According to Rob Wittman, $2300 in savings is equal to three months of groceries. According to BLS, in 2023, the average monthly cost for groceries was $500/month, which means this should roughly be $1500 for three months. Clearly, Mr. Whole Foods is out of touch with the average family.
And that’s expected because he also voted to cut SNAP - the one program that helps 42 million people afford to put food on the table - by $300 billion. The average benefit is $6.16 per person per day. Estimates are being reported of 6 million people losing food assistance should these cuts go through.
“Saves taxpayers billions.”
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I like paying taxes, especially when I know my taxes are paying for services that help people. As a taxpayer, I don’t want to save billions if it means cutting $1 trillion from basic needs programs that will result in millions being removed from the program. These cuts do nothing to invest in making the program more efficient, to actually root out inefficiencies. I’m all for making programs more efficient. That’s one of the reasons I’m in favor of guaranteed income - I want to see that replace most welfare programs.
These cuts punish the poor for simply being poor.
He mentions later in the email that this will help remove undocumented immigrants from federal programs. No offense to actual dumb people, but you have to be the dumbest person in the world to think that undocumented immigrants would attempt to get health care or food aid from the very government they are trying to hide from. How does that make sense at all? Lawful permanent residents have a hard enough time being eligible for these programs.
“This will allow further opportunities to negotiate more provisions to benefit Virginians.”
As a lawyer, allow me to offer some advice free of charge. If this is your idea of successful negotiations, please stop. You’re literally killing us. The rural hospitals in your district will close if they lose federal funding from these cuts. Grocery stores and convenience stores will need to close their stores or increase prices if they take a nearly 30% hit due to the SNAP cuts - increasing food insecurity not just for those losing SNAP but those who would shop at their stores.
To wrap up - this will make you poorer even if you don’t benefit from federal benefits directly because:
It will drive up grocery costs,
It may shut down hospitals in your area,
The tax provision may result in you paying more taxes while the rich get tax cuts.
Now What?
Well, we’re nowhere near done. This will take another couple of months to work its way throughout the Senate committees, the Senate floor, and then return to the House for the majorities to eventually tussle it out with each other. All the while, your calls will be incredibly important. For now, focus on calling Senators and let them know to:
not make any cuts to SNAP
not make any cuts to Medicare and Medicaid and
to do the right thing during costlier times and strengthen these programs.
Here’s a video of me making a 1 AM call to Representative Wittman to help you make calls.
Did you make it all the way down here? Hello there! I’m glad you’re here and would like to invite you to join me on various other social media sites:
Woooowwww it takes some special gall to put out lies this brazen.
Trusting Americans need to learn a new skill: verifying BEFORE we trust.