In Senate floor remarks on Thursday, Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) slammed the GOP budget resolution that will result in significant cuts to Medicaid.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Mr. President, I rise tonight in strong opposition to this awful and frankly immoral budget.
00:15Recently I was appointed to the Finance Committee of the United States Senate.
00:22The reason why I wanted to serve on that committee is because I wanted to get a chance to shape
00:29the nation's budget.
00:34As I thought about all of the things that I have fought for long before I came to the
00:39Senate, access to health care, access to learning and early education for all of our children,
00:48ensuring that people could retire with dignity.
00:52So I thought about the things that I cared about.
00:55And I wanted to serve in a place where I might have an impact on a nation's budget.
01:03And that is because for me a budget is not just a fiscal document, it's a moral document.
01:12It's not just numbers and figures.
01:16It's not just dollars and cents.
01:20Show me your budget and I'll show you who you think counts and who doesn't.
01:25Show me your budget and I'll show you what you think matters and what doesn't.
01:29Show me your budget and I'll show you your priorities.
01:36Jesus said where your treasure is there your heart will be also.
01:42And I have to say that if this budget that is being proposed were an EKG, it would suggest
01:50that the United States Congress has a heart problem and is in need of moral surgery.
01:57Why else would you propose, among other things, to cut up to $880 billion from Medicaid?
02:10I could talk about many aspects of this budget tonight, but I'll just stick with Medicaid.
02:14The programs that provide health care to the most vulnerable citizens, to children,
02:19to the severely disabled, to seniors in nursing homes.
02:26In fact, 71% of all Medicaid enrollees in Georgia are children, 71%.
02:39I think it's important to underscore that because sometimes when we use these terms
02:43Medicaid there may be folks at home wondering, well, who are we talking about, who are these
02:49people?
02:50Well, 71% of them are your children.
02:54And so this budget is dangerous.
02:58It is cynical.
03:01It is wrongheaded.
03:05I believe in addressing waste and fraud and abuse and I would sign up quickly to deal
03:12with that in our government.
03:15But there isn't enough waste, fraud, and abuse to cut $880 billion out of Medicaid.
03:25And that's not just me saying that, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said that the
03:30proposed GOP budget would require cuts to the Medicaid people rely on.
03:40So don't be fooled, don't be tricked by the funny math, by the games to cover up what's
03:49really happening here.
03:51And if I were them, I'd be ashamed of it and trying to hide it too.
03:57But they can't hide from the fact that they are about to take health care away from children.
04:09It's really that simple.
04:13So why?
04:17Why are we cutting access to health care, a human right, to 1.3 million children in
04:26Georgia, a quarter of a million Georgia seniors, over 37 million kids nationwide, 9.3 million
04:35seniors nationwide.
04:36Why should they go to bed tonight wondering if the Congress is getting ready to pull the
04:41rug out from under them?
04:43Well, the answer is, sadly, very simple.
04:48To pay for tax cuts to the riches of the rich, all the while adding $5 trillion to the nation's
04:58debt.
04:59Think about that.
05:02A plan that would cut health care to our most vulnerable citizens, including children living
05:11in the dawn of life and elders living in the twilight of life, while adding $5 trillion
05:22to the nation's debt, $37 trillion, potentially over 30 years.
05:28And so we are taking health care for children and then burdening them with the consequences
05:38of this terrible decision.
05:45And so I rise tonight just to say that America is better than this.
05:55This is not who we are at our core.
06:00And the data demonstrates that the people at home, ordinary folks, don't want this.
06:10This is symptomatic of the ways in which the people's voices have been squeezed out of
06:17their democracy and the folks who are sent here to represent them are representing other
06:22interests.
06:25And that's why every Sunday I return to my pulpit at Ebenezer Baptist Church.
06:34I'm blessed to stand there.
06:36I'm the preacher, but it's good to be in that atmosphere.
06:39It reminds me what ordinary people look like and their concerns and their needs.
06:47And sometimes when I stand in that pulpit, I'm reminded that Martin Luther King, Jr.,
06:51who was co-pastor, said that of all the injustices, inequality in health care is the most shocking
06:56and the most inhumane.
06:57It's the honor of my life still to stand there and preach every Sunday.
07:03The gospel tells us about a man who healed the sick, even those with preexisting conditions,
07:09and never billed them for his services.
07:13That's why I'm a Matthew 25 Christian.
07:19My work is informed by the words of that gospel, for I was hungry and you gave me food.
07:26I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.
07:28I was a stranger and you welcomed me.
07:31I was naked and you gave me clothing.
07:34I was sick and you took care of me.
07:37I was in prison and you visited me.
07:40And some asked the master, when were you hungry?
07:43Lord, when were you thirsty?
07:47When were you a stranger?
07:48When were you sick?
07:52And the answer came truly, I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these
07:57who are members of my family, you did it also unto me.
08:02This is not, for me, simply a policy argument.
08:13It is a moral discussion.
08:17It is about who we are fundamentally.
08:19What is the character of our nation?
08:26To center the 41% of Georgia children who rely on Medicaid, I think that's what keeping
08:32the faith looks like.
08:36To center the exhausted mom who is working multiple, unpredictable jobs, but still needs
08:42Medicaid to get to healthcare.
08:44She needs, many of the folks who need Medicaid go to work every day.
08:49In Georgia, the 600,000 folks who are in the Medicaid gap for all of this talk about work
08:55requirements, the overwhelming majority of those folks go to work every day or they're
09:02in school or they're taking care of a disabled person.
09:08Keeping the faith means centering the Georgia seniors who rely on Medicaid to cover the
09:12cost of living in a nursing home.
09:14That's why in 2017, years before I knew I would even run for political office, let alone
09:22serve in the Senate, I came to this building, but I came as a faith leader.
09:35I came with other faith leaders across various religious traditions and people who claim
09:40no particular faith tradition, but are people of moral courage, and we gathered in the rotunda.
09:51They were discussing back then another reconciliation bill.
09:59Once again, that bill would cut the social safety net programs like Medicaid and food
10:06assistance.
10:08We came here to bear witness to who we are at our best as a nation.
10:14As we gathered in the rotunda, the Capitol Police gathered and we were singing and we
10:20were praying and they said, sorry, but you can't sing and you can't pray in the rotunda.
10:26I thought to myself, somebody needed to pray.
10:30They said, respectfully, we'll give you three warnings and if you don't move, we'll have
10:36to arrest you.
10:37What they didn't understand was that I had already been arrested.
10:42My mind and my imagination had been arrested by the words of Dr. King, who taught us that
10:49the true measure of a person is not where he or she stands in moments of comfort and
10:54convenience, but in moments of challenge and controversy.
11:00We're tied in a single garment of destiny, caught up in an inescapable network of mutuality
11:05and whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.
11:09My mind had already been arrested.
11:11My moral imagination had been arrested.
11:15And so that felt like a small price to pay.
11:21And so I called on the people who are at home to call your senator, call your congressperson,
11:35tell them that this is not right, it's not fair, it's not true to our highest values.
11:46There are some 2,000 verses in scripture that tell us how to treat people who are in need,
11:53how to treat the poor.
11:57And maybe that's why faith leaders all across the state of Georgia have been reaching out
12:01to me in advance of this debate.
12:06Atlanta Bishop Jack Luminog from the Anglican Diocese of St. Ignatius Loyola reached out
12:13to me earlier this month and here are just a few excerpts from the letter he sent to
12:17me.
12:18He said, I am grateful to be one of your constituents in Georgia and to write to a fellow pastor
12:24whose voice carries both moral authority and legislative power in this defining moment
12:28for our nation.
12:30However, I write to you today with a heavy heart, deeply troubled by the state of our
12:35nation.
12:38As a faith leader, I am increasingly concerned for the most vulnerable among us, those who
12:44rely on Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security.
12:47These vital programs appear to be next in line for cuts by DOJ that could threaten the
12:53well-being of millions.
12:56Scripture, he says, reminds us that whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers
13:01and sisters of mine, you did for me.
13:03It is our moral duty to advocate for the dignity and security of those who depend on these
13:09essential safety nets.
13:11We cannot allow them to be dismissed amid political and economic maneuvering by unelected
13:17bureaucrats like Elon Musk, who have placated the legislature and judiciary while wielding
13:25outsized influence over public policy, all while bypassing democratic accountability.
13:33Please be assured of my prayers for you and your leadership during this critical moment
13:37in our nation's history.
13:38May you find strength in your faith and courage in your convictions as you continue to fight
13:44for justice and righteousness.
13:49Thank you, Bishop Lumenauk.
13:53You are not alone.
13:56In your witness earlier in the year, the three largest Catholic organizations in the country,
14:00the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Catholic Health Association, and Catholic
14:05Charities USA urged lawmakers to protect and strengthen Medicaid as a matter of faith.
14:15They wrote, the Catholic Church teaches that human life is sacred and all people have inherent
14:23dignity and worth.
14:25As Catholic bishops and organizations that provide health care and social services on
14:30behalf of the church, we firmly believe that all people have the right to those necessities
14:35needed to live, found a family, and flourish.
14:40As you address reconciliation priorities, we urge you to prioritize those most in need
14:47and working families and protect the Medicaid program.
14:54We're hearing from a range of faith leaders because they understand that the acetate test
15:03of someone's faith is adept of their commitment to the most marginalized members of the human
15:08family.
15:11Nearly two million people in Georgia are enrolled in Medicaid.
15:14That's one in five Georgians.
15:17One point three million children in Georgia are enrolled in Medicaid.
15:20That's over 40% of every Georgia child, two in every five children.
15:25A quarter of a million Georgia seniors rely on Medicaid, including those living in nursing
15:31homes.
15:32Around one in seven Georgia seniors, and they are united in opposition to cuts to Medicaid.
15:39I hear their stories all the time.
15:43I want to just share a couple of them with you.
15:49Risteria was excited to learn that she'd be expecting her first child, but her initial
15:55excitement quickly gave way to fear and anxiety as her pregnancy proved to be most difficult.
16:03During the pregnancy, doctors needed to perform an emergency operation, followed by an unexpected
16:10C-section delivery.
16:14At the time of her pregnancy, Risteria was working a part-time job that did not offer
16:19health benefits.
16:22Through family, friends, and coworkers, she discovered that she was eligible for Medicaid,
16:27which ultimately provided critical assistance in covering the cost for the care she needed
16:33through delivery.
16:35She was both relieved and grateful that a difficult pregnancy ended in the birth of
16:41a healthy baby boy.
16:43Now she's the proud mother of two.
16:46She works full-time as a deputy county clerk.
16:51She is now enrolled in an employer-provided health plan, but she remains forever grateful
16:59that Medicaid was there for her when she needed it.
17:04It provided a temporary safety net amid a challenging pregnancy, and now her life is
17:12much better because of it.
17:17Naomi enrolled in Medicaid after she lost her job when pregnant with her son, Noah.
17:24Noah was born prematurely at just 26 weeks and lives with chronic and medically complex
17:30conditions that require round-the-clock care.
17:35Noah's Medicaid coverage is provided through a combination of innovative programs, including
17:40Georgia's Right from the Start initiative for comprehensive health services and the
17:45Katie Beckett Waiver Program for children with complex medical needs.
17:51All over our country, there are children like Noah.
17:55His mom says, if we didn't have Medicaid, we would be in dire straits.
18:04Elizabeth from Ella J., Georgia says, our lives depend on prescription medications and
18:10accessibilities.
18:13Please help us.
18:15Losing Medicaid would hurt disabled people or even potentially kill us without access
18:20to our medication.
18:23When it comes to politics or access to health care, disabled people are often left out and
18:28no one thinks of the consequences of taking away the things that help us.
18:33We live in forced poverty already, and Medicaid is essential.
18:37Please think of us and be a voice for those who can't speak out.
18:46Finally, when Cindy was 17 years old, Cindy from Atlanta, she was a star athlete and a
18:57great student preparing to go to college and enroll in ROTC.
19:04Her parents, who are refugees from Vietnam, moved to the United States to give her a better
19:08life.
19:10She wanted to make them proud.
19:13When she started feeling exhausted all the time and noticed swelling in her lymph nodes,
19:18she knew something was wrong.
19:21After several visits to various doctors and the hospital, she was diagnosed with stage
19:272 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
19:31Obviously, that was devastating news for her and for her family, but they were at least
19:38grateful that Medicaid would cover all the treatment Cindy needed to survive.
19:45And just after Thanksgiving, her senior year in high school, Cindy started chemotherapy.
19:54Each session lasted three and a half hours, and she had to do them every other week for
19:59six months.
20:02She went to classes as much as she could, took the SAT, and continued her plans to go
20:08to college.
20:10She went to her senior prom, even though it was just two days after her chemotherapy.
20:17But now Cindy is 30 years old.
20:21She's cancer-free.
20:26She's fascinated by all things aerospace, and she formed a group at her school to advocate
20:32for a new major in the field.
20:33She says, when I was 17, I was diagnosed with stage 2 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
20:41But because of Medicaid, I was able to catch my cancer early.
20:46And today I'm cancer-free.
20:48I'm following my dreams of becoming an aerospace engineer.
20:53And I'm living proof that Medicaid saves lives.
20:59That's really the heart of it.
21:02Medicaid saves lives.
21:05And so I wanted to share these stories tonight because these are the stories of ordinary
21:10people.
21:13These are the stories of the folks who will not be able to stand on this Senate floor,
21:16but they need a voice.
21:20These are their stories, but in a real sense, these are our stories.
21:24Because as Dr. King said, we are tied in a single garment of destiny.
21:29Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.
21:35We got to know this very well over the last few years during the COVID-19 pandemic.
21:42A deadly airborne disease meant that if my neighbor was sick, I was potentially in peril.
21:55That didn't make my neighbor my enemy.
21:57That simply means that I had an investment in my neighbor's health.
22:05My neighbor's health care was good for my health.
22:09And so that's the spirit with which we ought to be addressing something as sacred as crafting
22:15the nation's budget.
22:19I need other people's children to be okay for my children to be okay.
22:25I need people with disabilities to be okay for my children to be okay.
22:31I need seniors in nursing homes to be okay for all of us to be okay.
22:35And I need children with cerebral palsy to be okay for my children to be okay.
22:43We need to look into each other's eyes and into the eyes of other people's children and
22:50see our own.
22:51So over the next few days, this body will be voting on a budget.
22:58And I submit that the budget says a whole lot about the body.
23:04It's a moral EKG.
23:07And the question is, are we well or do we have a heart condition?
23:12I submit that for all of our challenges, we suffer not from a poverty of resources, but
23:18a poverty of moral imagination.
23:20We are bigger, better, and stronger when our reach is wider.
23:30And when we dare to build a nation that embraces all of our children, God give us strength,
23:36grace and moral courage to get it right.
23:41I yield the floor.