DALLAS — Congresswoman Julie Johnson, D-Dallas, said Texans should be “very, very concerned” about potential cuts to Medicaid, the federal and state program that provides healthcare coverage to low-income families and individuals.
House Republicans recently passed a budget blueprint to pay for tax cuts and fund President Donald Trump’s agenda.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said Republicans won’t be able to reach their desired level of spending cuts — laid out within the budget — without gutting Medicaid or Medicare to pay for them. The CBO is a non-partisan agency that provides economic and budget analysis to lawmakers.
Congresswoman Johnson said in her district alone, more than 100,000 residents depend on Medicaid. More than 4 million Texans are enrolled in Medicaid across the state.
The Democrat said kids and seniors in particular would be hit hard.
“It’s amazing that the Republicans want to hurt kids like they do,” she told us on Inside Texas Politics. “Our seniors, our nursing homes and long-term care facilities are going to have dramatic impacts and that’s going to really put families in a bind with respect to how they deal with aging loved ones.”
Some Republicans have argued that they’re only looking to eliminate fraud and waste within the Medicaid program, and will only cut the workforce, not benefits.
Johnson isn’t buying that argument.
“That makes no sense, though. I mean, yes, okay, you’re entitled to the benefits. But if you don’t have anybody there to actually process the claim and deal with all the issues, then your benefit isn’t going to happen,” she said.
We also discussed the Border Workforce Improvement Act, Congresswoman Johnson’s legislation that aims to strengthen border enforcement by improving staff levels at several agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“Really what it is, is a study to make sure that the people that we have on the border have the technology they need, the equipment they need, and we have the sufficient personnel that we need, and that includes court personnel and processing and all of the things, just to take a more wholistic look at it,” Johnson said. “Democrats care about border security. And Democrats can be part of the solution.”