Hochul, Jeffries Raise Concerns Over One Big Beautiful Bill Act
New York leaders Hochul and Jeffries oppose the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, warning of healthcare cuts that could leave 1.5 million New Yorkers without insurance and cost hospitals over $3 billion. They rallied in Brooklyn, urging the Senate to reject the bill. The Senate debates the legislation this week, with potential amendments to follow.
Attention is now firmly on the U.S. Senate as it prepares to deliberate President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act following its recent approval by the House of Representatives. New York Governor Kathy Hochul and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries made their opposition clear during a rally in Brooklyn on Sunday, where they warned of dire consequences if the legislation becomes law.
Jeffries voiced his concerns, stating, “Nursing homes will close, hospitals will shut down and Community Health Centers will lose funding. House Republicans from New York were nothing more than a rubber stamp for Trump’s reckless and extreme agenda, voting to strip healthcare from their constituents. We must keep the pressure on and continue to use every tool at our disposal to ensure that the One Big Ugly Bill is buried deep in the ground, never to rise again.”
Both Hochul and Jeffries argue that the proposed act threatens federal funding for critical healthcare programs like Medicaid and the Essential Plan, potentially leaving around 1.5 million New Yorkers without health insurance. They estimate that hospitals across the state would face losses exceeding $3 billion due to this bill.
Hochul expressed her alarm, saying, “We have 1.5 million New Yorkers who will be off of Medicaid because of this program. What is supposed to happen to them? I’ll tell you what’s going to happen. They’re not going to get preventative care. They’re going to end up in our emergency rooms, overcrowding the hospitals…”
A notable aspect of the bill is the proposed $700 billion cut to Medicaid spending and the introduction of community engagement requirements of 80 hours per month, set to begin in January 2029. Hochul lamented the potential impact on vulnerable populations, questioning, “If we can’t take care of them, what does that say about us as a nation?”
In response, the president and House Republicans maintain that these cuts are aimed at eliminating waste and combating fraud within the system. The Senate will take up the bill this week and may amend it, which would then necessitate another vote in the House for final approval.
As the Senate gears up for critical discussions this week on Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, opposition from key New York leaders highlights significant concerns about healthcare impacts. Hochul and Jeffries call attention to potential cuts to Medicaid, emphasizing the bill’s adverse effects on millions of New Yorkers and the healthcare system at large. With the future of the legislation uncertain, all eyes will be on any amendments the Senate may propose.
Original Source: spectrumlocalnews.com
