AOC Hits Back At GOP Medicaid Claims With Blistering Last Word

Ocasio-Cortez, in remarks at a committee markup meeting, declared that GOP lawmakers are suggesting Democrats take their word and trust them that they’ll protect Medicaid.

“But as a woman, the word was given to me that my rights would not be taken away by the Supreme Court — and that wasn’t true,” she stressed.

“As an American, the word was given that our First Amendment protections would be in place for everyone, including green-card holders and people who are lawfully here in this country. That didn’t end up to be true.”

Ocasio-Cortez was speaking in support of an amendment to a GOP-sponsored bill on Tuesday that, per the congresswoman, would require the Department of Health and Human Services to look at how Americans would be impacted should their states see reduced Medicaid expansion funding (or if enrollment decreases).

Her remarks come as the committee — which oversees both Medicare and Medicaid — is set to meet next week as it looks for $880 billion in savings to help finance party-line legislation to support the president’s agenda.

Such a goal would be difficult to hit without making cuts to Medicaid and, as Semafor reported Tuesday, even two of Trump’s allies have criticized proposed policy changes to Medicaid, a program that serves millions of low income Americans.

Medicaid is supported by an “overwhelming majorities of voters” in battleground districts, including 78% of the president’s backers, according to figures that a top Trump campaign polling firm shared with Axios last week.