TRUE OR FALSE: Representative Kiggans Doubles Down On Support for Bill that Will Strip Constituents of Healthcare

Virginia Beach, VA – Representative Kiggans published an Op-Ed defending her vote in support of the Republican tax bill last week. 

Affordable Virginia has responded with the following fact-check:

Kiggans: “By making the 2017 tax cuts permanent, it gives families and small businesses the certainty they need to plan for the future.” FALSE. 

TRUE: Small businesses, whom Republicans sold the 2017 Tax Scam as helping, do not benefit from these cuts overall. And while they worry about taxes and increased health care costs, now they’re also concerned about the increased costs of goods as a result of increased tariffs. Additionally, while the bill gives enormous tax breaks to billionaires, it does little to help working families– even causing lower-income families to lose income. 

Kiggans: “I’ve heard a lot of misinformation about what this bill does to Medicaid, so let me be clear: It protects coverage for those who qualify — children, seniors, pregnant women and people with disabilities.” FALSE. 

TRUE: The Congressional Budget Office put out a study that confirms this budget will result in nearly $700 billion cut to Medicaid and result in an estimated 250,000 Virginians losing healthcare, including seniors and children. That’s nearly a trillion dollars in life-saving care that Americans will not receive. 

Kiggans: “This bill is about delivering for the American people. It cuts taxes… without expanding bureaucracy or raising costs.” FALSE. 

TRUE: This bill delivers for billionaires and corporations, directly raises costs for healthcare, food, and energy for working families in Virginia, and increases red tape through new bureaucratic requirements. 

THE HARD TRUTH: Kiggans’ claims about her vote on this bill are false, she is misleading her constituents, and she remains out of touch with the needs of Coastal Virginians.