>> In Washington, congressional lawmakers are
wrangling over passing important parts of President
Donald Trump's so-called big beautiful bill, with three
committees passing legislation to cut taxes,
Medicaid and food aid in Wisconsin. More than 1
million people are covered by Medicaid, the health care
program for lower income families and individuals,
the Republican provisions would also cut food aid,
known here as food share. These spending cuts combine
with legislation extending Donald Trump's 2017 tax
cuts. A Wisconsin member of the powerful House Ways and
Means Committee had her sleeves rolled up this week
trying to bat back these provisions. Milwaukee
Democratic Congresswoman Gwen Moore joins us from
Washington. And, Congresswoman, thank you
>> Always good to be with you, Frederica.
>> So you called this a quote, big bonanza for
billionaires. How so? >> I'll just cut to the
quick. This is this is a program that supposedly is
one of the most expensive provisions in the bill.
Costing maybe 800 upwards of $800 billion, US. And it's
supposed to help, quote unquote, small businesses.
But you take Dick, Dick Elon, for example. He uses
this pass through. Method to claim $115 million in
benefits and 84% of these so-called small businesses
that receive this benefit have absolutely no
employees. Most of the benefit goes to the 1%. And
that's why I called it a big bonanza for billionaires.
Just stunned that they called it a big, beautiful
bill. Considering how many people are harmed and left
behind by the provisions of the bill and the three
committees. also benefit, though, from
extending the 2017 cuts. >> Oh, that's one of their
huge talking points, Fredricka, is that, you
know, if we don't pass this big, beautiful bill, you
know, everybody, including including lower income
taxpayers are going to suffer big gimmick that they
temporarily raise some of the benefits for people in
the lower quintiles. And of course, just just to get
them through the 2026 election cycle. And then
they go away, whereas they make the rest of the
corporate benefits permanent. I mean, it is so
nefarious. And it's really not funny.
>> On the Medicaid provisions, we know it would
require able bodied adults to work, volunteer or be in
school for 80 hours a month. Why is that onerous and how
could it reduce the number of people covered by
Medicaid? >> What is able bodied?
Frederica, you know, I just lost my nephew last October,
33 years old, had had a heart transplant, wasn't on
Social Security or SSI. And yet he was very, very
disabled. But he was working to try to maintain Medicaid
because of the expense of his anti-rejection
medication. He died October 20th. But to look at him, he
looked like something snatched off the cover of
Sports Illustrated. There are so many people who are
disabled or have medical problems that are not, that
are not designated as disabled by the Social
Security Administration is very, very hard to get on
SSI or SSDI disability. People apply and reapply and
are rejected. But you know, in the case of, you know,
Medicaid, this they have actually scored throwing
people off and you know, say if you're a 54 year old man
who's done roofing all your life, it's very likely that
by the time your age, 53, that you may not be really
that able to climb up on that those ladders and fix
roofs anymore, or you might find yourself some woman
who's 50 years old, 52, starting to have diabetes or
arthritis, and you haven't been designated as disabled.
But you know, you're not able to stand up in a
restaurant for, you know, an eight hour a day and wait on
tables or Cooke and, you know, but you will be called
abled body simply because you're, you're not, you
know, designated by the Social Security Act. The
other thing is that most people work when they can.
Everybody likes to have money. They like the self
esteem, they like it. And when people can't work, it's
for very good reasons. >> So some Republicans don't
like that the work requirement doesn't go into
effect until 2029 and want steeper cuts. What else do
the Medicaid provisions in this legislation do,
including to the Affordable Care Act?
>> They you know, they are undermining the Affordable
Care Act. And so those people who are working,
those people who are getting credits through the
Affordable Care Act, they're not poor enough to qualify
for Medicaid at 100% of the poverty level, but they
don't have employer sponsored insurance. These
are people who are going to lose coverage because they
will not be able to afford the expensive health care.
As rates go way up without the premiums, and they'll
find themselves out of luck. Medicaid is part of a larger
health care system. You know, hospitals, about a
quarter of their income relies on Medicaid
reimbursements. Nursing homes, probably 75, 77% of
the cost of nursing homes comes from Medicaid. And of
course, this will hurt not just individuals, but we
find rural hospitals that might find themselves just
being shut down. Urban hospitals that will close
their maternity wards, the Energy and Commerce
Committee were given instructions to cut
Medicaid, and they cut it for over $700 billion. And
don't believe for a second that it won't hurt you.
>> Another big item are cuts to food assistance. How will
that affect people in Wisconsin?
probably 18,000 veterans that are going to be harmed
by cuts and snap with these changes that they did in the
Energy and Commerce Committee. They have put in
a zero tolerance for errors, zero tolerance, so that if
people get even $1, $1 in extra snap benefits, food
stamp benefits, the state will be dinged. And if they
find that they have over a 6% error rate, they will be
responsible for up to 15% of the cost of Snap. You know,
in Wisconsin, in our governor has calculated that
that that the state would find itself having to come
up with $200 million just in Wisconsin to fill the gap.
The other thing that's so onerous about Snap is that
they have 53 year old folks, 54 year old folks, again,
who will only be eligible for Snap for three months
every three years, three months out of every three
years that they'll be eligible for Snap. And this
is this is a way that they will, quote unquote, cut the
benefits. So this budget really relies on budget
gimmicks. People not being able to meet work
requirements, people not being able to keep up with
the paperwork. And this is this is how they've
calculated their loss and benefits. It's really,
really a very nefarious plan.
>> And yet it's very likely to pass.
>> We have people in wheelchairs outside of the
Energy and Commerce Committee in wheelchairs.
Being arrested, putting, as John Lewis would say, the
late great putting their bodies on the line to stop
these cuts because they're in such dire need of them.
And yet we have an administration who's been
able to intimidate them. But it's not over yet. It's not
over yet because people are still out there raising
their voices, encouraging them to continue to do it.
Don't forget the John McCain thumbs down. We can always
have someone who shows some spines, guts between the
House and the Senate to bring us back, pull us back
from the brink. from the brink.