Kiggans Votes to Cut Medicaid, Medicare, and SNAP Leaving Thousands of Virginians Wondering if They Will Have Healthcare and Food

Virginia Beach, VA - Congresswoman Jen Kiggans, along with her fellow House Republicans, passed President Trump’s tax plan to slash Medicaid, Medicare, and SNAP, stripping her constituents of access to food and healthcare to fund more tax breaks for billionaires and the wealthy.

The bill includes the largest cuts to Medicaid and SNAP in U.S. history.

“I worked in healthcare for 30 years as a nurse, and remember what emergency rooms looked like before the ACA and Medicaid expansion – they were packed,” said Glen Harris, Chesapeake resident. “People wouldn’t get regular care at all and wait until it was an emergency, when something could have been prevented if they’d had access to care six months, a year, earlier. These cuts mean less screening for cancer, more healthcare deserts – not just for those with Medicaid and Medicare – but for people with private insurance too as clinics are forced to close. These cuts could be a death sentence to hundreds. Healthcare professionals and politicians do have one thing in common, to protect the best interest of the people we serve. I’ve done my part for the last 3 decades, Congresswoman Kiggans, can you say the same?”

“Representative Kiggans did exactly what we knew she would do – she lied,” said Emily Yeatts, Affordable Virginia Campaigns Director. “After signing on to a letter urging House Republican leadership to not cut Medicaid last month, she voted with them to cut it anyway. This bill would also trigger automatic cuts to Medicare. An estimated 250,000 Virginians could lose healthcare, and more will lose access to food due to nearly $300 billion in SNAP cuts – with seniors and children being hit hardest. This budget serves to protect corporations and billionaires at the expense of our most vulnerable loved ones. Rep. Kiggans should feel ashamed that she supported such a cruel blow to working Virginians.”