Newsletter: Reconciliation, Protecting Medicaid, and More

The following email newsletter was sent on Monday, May 19th.

Dear Friends,

From the Qatari airplane “gift” to renegotiating tariff rates with China, there’s so much to keep track of in the news. But one important thing you shouldn’t miss is that Republicans in Congress continue to advance their massive tax and spending bill that will impact every American. They want to pass this bill through the House by Memorial Day.

Here is what you need to know now:

• This is the “big beautiful bill” that’s cutting health care for millions to give tax cuts to the rich, and even a $1 billion tax giveaway for buying silencers for assault rifles, all in the name of Donald Trump.
• The tax cuts in this package will overwhelmingly benefit the wealthiest Americans and corporations. For example, Walmart paid $9 billion less in taxes as a result of Trump’s first term tax cuts.
• Medicaid coverage will be taken away from people who can’t demonstrate—with lots of red tape—that they meet rigid work requirements. In the states where this has already been tried, employment has not increased but many people have lost their health insurance.
• House committees have advanced plans to cut Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to the tune of almost $300 billion. Over 1 million Massachusetts residents rely on SNAP.
• The GOP is using a totally partisan process to advance this bill. They won’t let Democrats in the room because they don’t need our votes.

Slashing a program as essential as Medicaid—which covers 1 in 3 Massachusetts residents, including 500,000 seniors and 50 percent of children—to fund tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy is inexcusable. 

Instead, we should be having serious debates in Washington about fixing our healthcare system so that it works better for all Americans. That includes lowering prescription drugs prices, reforming insurance, and speeding up wait times.

Protecting 988 Mental Health Services

The Trump administration recently let it slip that it wants to make serious cuts to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline’s specialized services for LGBTQ+ youth. This is a critical (and cost-effective) resource: 2,000 young people reach out to 988 every day for mental health help.

I am leading the push calling on President Trump and HHS Secretary Kennedy to scrap their threatened cuts. In 2020, I co-authored the bill that created the 988 lifeline, with a fellow veteran, because every American deserves fast, accessible mental health support.

Protecting 988 Mental Health Services

• Informing Consumers about Smart Devices Act: Americans deserve to know when devices like refrigerators or dishwashers can record audio or video. This bill directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to establish clear disclosure guidelines for products that include cameras and/or microphones.
• Salem Maritime National Historical Park Redesignation and Boundary Study Act: As Salem approaches the 400th anniversary of its founding, this bill will redesignate the site as a National Historical Park to help attract more visitors to Salem and increase the preservation capacity of this storied city.