Dear Neighbor,

Last week, House Republicans advanced the largest portions of their “big beautiful bill” to fund the government for fiscal year (FY) 2026 as the Energy & Commerce, Agriculture, and Ways & Means Committees met to consider their respective portions. What emerged was a plan to fund tax cuts that primarily benefit the wealthiest one percent of Americans at the expense of kicking 13.7 million people off their health insurance and 42 million people off food assistance (over a third of them children).  

Over the course of 16 hours, House Agriculture Committee Democrats offered amendments to the budget to mitigate the harm of the Republicans’ bill cutting $300 billion from basic needs food assistance programs that help feed hungry Americans. Republicans voted down every single one. 

Over the course of 17 hours, Ways & Means Committee Democrats exposed the “big beautiful bill” for what it really is: tax breaks for the wealthiest billionaires in the country, financed by gutting the health care and benefits of millions of working people, families, seniors, and veterans. Republicans rejected amendments that would have maintained affordable health insurance for 21 million Americans, blocked trillions of dollars in unearned tax breaks for billionaires, expanded tax credits for families with children, and provided relief for hardworking Americans devastated by the President’s chaotic trade war.

But the kicker was the 26 ½ hour Energy & Commerce Committee marathon to address the $880 billion in cuts to federal health care, energy, environmental, and communications programs. More than 26 hours later, Republicans passed a bill that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office confirmed will kick millions of Americans off their health insurance.

Of course, that debate occurred in the dead of night while most of you were sleeping, as Republicans took up the energy, environmental and communications portions of the bill first. During these portions I fought back efforts to eliminate environmental justice grants, use the proceeds of spectrum actions to line the pockets of the President, government officials and their families, weaponize the FCC to influence lawsuits against government officials, and impose a 10 year moratorium on any state regulation of artificial intelligence.  

The bulk of the cuts of course come in the health care portion of the bill: $715 billion that puts Medicaid at risk for hundreds of thousands of Virginians and raises health care costs for the rest of us. More on that below. The bill also defunds Planned Parenthood, even though it uses no federal money for abortion services.

Late last night, the Budget Committee approved the bill. Now, House Speaker Johnson plans to bring this big bad bill to the House floor for a vote. But the far right conservative caucus wants to cut even more…

This should alarm everyone.

What Medicaid Means to Virginia — and to Me

Before coming to Congress, I spent nearly 18 years in the Virginia General Assembly. I was the first delegate to serve while pregnant, and after a near-death experience during childbirth, I know personally how vital health insurance can be.

I was fortunate to have private insurance through my employer. Because of that coverage, when my daughter was born by emergency C-section and spent six weeks in the NICU, my chief concern was her well-being — not how we would pay the hospital bills. When our son suffered a burn at age two, we rushed him to the ER and got him timely, quality care — not the cheapest option available.

But not every family has that safety net. That’s why Medicaid was created: to cover children, pregnant women, people with disabilities, and those in long-term care who can’t afford private insurance.

For years, too many Virginians were trapped in a coverage gap — earning too much to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to afford private insurance. They were one illness away from financial ruin. That’s why, as a state senator, I fought to expand Medicaid in Virginia. Today, over 605,000 Virginians are covered by that expansion.

What We Stand to Lose

Now that progress is under threat. The Republican plan would unravel Medicaid coverage through red tape, new costs, and punitive requirements that make it harder for people to stay enrolled.

The bill imposes “work requirements” on the Medicaid expansion population — the vast majority of whom are already working. States have had the authority to impose such requirements since 2018, and the ones that have done so have proven such requirements to be a disaster — kicking people who were working and those who were not because they had a disability off Medicaid because of overly cumbersome paperwork requirements. Arkansas became the first state to implement such requirements. By the time a federal judge halted the program in April 2019, 18,000 had lost coverage, 95% of whom were either working or qualified for an exemption, but were disenrolled anyway. Georgia’s experience provides a more recent cautionary tale, as only a small number of eligible people enrolled in the state program, and administrative costs exceeded spending on medical care. Indeed, Virginia considered and ultimately rejected work requirements when expanding Medicaid, and does not have a mechanism to implement automatic verification.  

The bill also imposes cost sharing requirements on the Medicaid expansion population, requiring states to impose copay requirements of up to $35 on people who make roughly $300 per week. Such a requirement makes it less likely these individuals will seek primary or preventative care. This even came as a surprise to Republicans, some of whom were hearing about this for the first time in committee.

And by blocking states from raising the provider taxes that fund Medicaid, the bill could force Virginia lawmakers to choose between raising taxes or cutting health services — all while facing additional cuts to education, food security, housing, infrastructure, and public safety.

This would have devastating ripple effects. In rural communities, where more than 1 in 10 adults rely on Medicaid, hospitals could close or drop services. As more Virginians delay care until they end up in emergency rooms, costs will rise for everyone.

As I discussed in an op-ed in the Virginian-Pilot, ripping health care away from any of us harms all of us.

And while Republicans claim their Medicaid “reforms” strengthen the program for those who need it most, the bill invests all these “savings” in tax cuts for the wealthy rather than back into the Medicaid program.

I’m Listening — and Fighting for You

For months, I’ve been hearing from Virginians — parents, health care workers, hospital leaders, and state legislators — who are scared about what these cuts could mean. I know what it took to get us here. I know how fragile progress can be. And I will not stop fighting to protect it.

Because the Commonwealth depends on it. And the common good demands it.

Thank you for continuing to stand with me.

MY BRIGHT SPOT

This week, my bright spot was the fearless, tireless Medicaid advocates who showed up to oppose Republicans’ proposed Medicaid cuts. Your courage and strength helped power me through the grueling 26 hour markup and served as a stark reminder of what’s on the line.

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