U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is pushing back this week against proposed federal budget cuts that, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, would reduce Medicaid spending by about $800-billion and add more work requirements for many families.
About a third of the North Country’s population is enrolled in Medicaid, the federally subsidized health care program. President Trump and many Congressional Republicans want to cut Medicaid funding and limit who’s eligible for the program.
Senator Gillibrand paid a visit to Adirondack Medical Center to speak out against the cuts. She says more than 2,600 jobs could be eliminated in the NY 21 Congressional District, while about 44,000 people would lose their health insurance coverage and 19,000 people would lose access to nutrition benefits under the SNAP program. SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, helps more than 40 million Americans buy food. That program is facing a proposed cut of nearly $300 million in Trump’s budget, and added work requirements for families.