Cantwell Slams GOP Budget as a "Cash Grab for Corporations & the Rich"

Strategic Insights -

United States Senator Maria Cantwell delivered a powerful speech on the Senate floor, exposing how the proposed budget by Congressional Republicans would devastatingly affect the American people, particularly those who can least afford it. As the Senate prepares to vote on a new budget that would gut $930 billion from Medicaid, funnel resources to special interests via massive corporate tax breaks, and add $3.3 trillion to the national debt over the next decade, Cantwell highlighted various provisions that would sell out the American people.

The proposed budget would dismantle Medicaid, making the entire health care system less responsive and more expensive for everyone. It would also shift more of the cost burden onto states, threatening the existence of rural hospitals. Additionally, the budget would sell spectrum out from under national defense and safety agencies, forcing states to choose between protecting citizens from AI or providing broadband service. The most destructive part of the bill is its changes to health care, which would increase the cost of uncompensated care and make people wait to go to emergency rooms, leaving them sicker and more expensive to treat.

Cantwell emphasized that extending the 2017 tax cuts would help some middle-class families, but the hits in other areas, like health insurance, would mean they would lose money overall. The lowest 20% of income brackets are hit even harder, and it is those who can least afford it who are going to be hit the hardest. Senator Cantwell's speech was a call to action, sounding the alarm on proposed Medicaid cuts and warning of the devastating consequences for Washington state's highly-ranked long-term care system for seniors and people with disabilities.

Key Takeaways:

  • The proposed budget by Congressional Republicans would gut $930 billion from Medicaid, making the entire health care system less responsive and more expensive for everyone.
  • The budget would sell spectrum out from under national defense and safety agencies and force states to choose between protecting citizens from AI or providing broadband service.
  • The most destructive part of the bill is its changes to health care, which would increase the cost of uncompensated care and make people wait to go to emergency rooms.
  • The lowest 20% of income brackets are hit even harder, with those who can least afford it being affected the most.
  • Senator Cantwell has been fighting the proposed budget every step of the way, hosting virtual press conferences, delivering speeches on the Senate floor, and releasing reports highlighting the impact of the bill.
  • The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis and a Joint Economic Committee (JEC) fact sheet provide data on the estimated number of people losing their health insurance across the US.
  • A Joint Economic Committee (JEC) fact sheet also provides updated estimates for all 50 states and D.C. of the estimated number of people losing their health insurance.

Statistics:

  • $930 billion: the amount of Medicaid funding that would be gutted by the proposed budget.
  • 3.3 trillion: the amount of national debt that would be added over the next decade by the proposed budget.
  • 17 million: the number of Americans who would lose health insurance under the proposed budget.
  • 20%: the lowest income bracket that would be hit even harder by the proposed budget.
  • 50 states: the number of states that would be affected by the proposed budget's cuts to Medicaid.
  • 72 hours: the amount of time the House would have to consider the budget bill after it passes the Senate.

Sources:

  • "It Is Those Who Can Least Afford It Who Are Going To Be Hit The Hardest"-- In Speech on Senate Floor, Cantwell Shows How GOP's Budget Sells Out the American People. Maria Cantwell. US Senator for Washington. June 29, 2025.
  • Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Analysis of the Impact of the Republican Plan's Cuts to Medicaid.
  • Joint Economic Committee (JEC). Fact sheet: Estimated Number of People Losing Their Health Insurance.
  • Joint Economic Committee (JEC). Fact sheet: Updated Estimates for All 50 States and D.C. of the Estimated Number of People Losing Their Health Insurance.
  • Maria Cantwell. Senator for Washington. Press Release. "Cantwell Slams GOP Budget as a 'Cash Grab for Corporations & the Rich'". June 29, 2025.