After Congressman Rob Wittman and Congresswoman Jen Kiggans voted for Trump’s disastrous budget bill with the largest cuts to Medicaid in American history—breaking their public pledge not to vote for any bill that cuts the health care program that 1.8 million Virginians rely on—the Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press Editorial Board writes that they “sold out their constituents.”
According to the Joint Economic Minority Committee, 260,000 Virginians are estimated to lose insurance coverage, including over 20,000 in Wittman’s district (VA-01) and over 19,000 in Kiggans’ district (VA-02).
The Virginian-Pilot: In the end, Reps. Kiggans and Wittman sold out their constituents
- As the sweeping Republican spending bill lurched its way through the U.S. House in recent weeks, members of Virginia’s congressional delegation promised they would oppose those sections that made life more difficult for commonwealth residents or which imperiled our economic future.
- Yet when push came to shove — when residents of Hampton Roads really needed the elected representatives to defend their interests — U.S. Reps. Jen Kiggans and Rob Wittman folded. On Thursday morning, they voted with their party and with the president instead of with the people they swore to serve.
- It would be a betrayal were it not so predictable. For all the noise each made about fighting against the most onerous provisions of the bill — and there are many — neither had the courage to stand up to President Donald Trump or buck Republican leadership to do what was right.
- The embarrassingly named “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” eked its way out of the House by a 215-214 vote following weeks of debate about legislation that would make radical changes to federal operations and numerous programs relied on by millions of Americans.
- [...] The CBO estimates that cuts to Medicaid and changes to the Affordable Care Act included in the bill will threaten the health care coverage of at least 8.6 million Americans, including about 262,000 Virginians. The bill also endangers the viability of hospitals and nursing homes, primarily in rural areas, which will be further squeezed after Gov. Glenn Youngkin this month cut $10 million from Medicaid reimbursements to nursing homes.
- Cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which helps provide food for the poorest Americans, would affect an estimated 11 million Americans, including 204,000 Virginians. Some 6,000 people in the 2nd Congressional District and 2,000 in the 1st District would lose SNAP benefits, according to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.
- The damage of the SNAP cuts could be worse depending on how new rules included in the bill are interpreted, but commonwealth lawmakers will be faced with the unwelcome proposition of massively increasing the state’s share of those costs or slashing coverage to thousands of low-income Virginians, including children.
