Wyden, Merkley Demand Trump Administration Make No Cuts to Medicare and Medicaid
Oregon senators: “Hands off Medicare and Medicaid.”
Washington, D.C. — Oregon’s U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they have sent a letter with their Senate colleagues urging Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Donald Trump’s administration not to make cuts to Medicare and Medicaid to pay for billionaires’ tax cuts.
“Every cut risks Americans paying more, waiting longer, and wading through more insurance red tape for care. Every cut risks hospitals and community health centers struggling harder to keep their doors open and forcing health providers and workers out of their jobs,” the lawmakers wrote.
The letter follows reports of Elon Musk and DOGE officials gaining access to key payment and contracting systems at the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services, which administers Medicare and Medicaid for millions of Americans. In 2024, 68 million seniors and people with disabilities relied on Medicare for basic care, including hospital visits, cancer screenings, diabetes, and prescription drugs. Medicaid is the largest public health insurance program in the United States, serving nearly 80 million Americans, including more than 1.1 million Oregonians.
“It is dangerously unacceptable that an unelected Musk and his unqualified acolytes have access to sensitive CMS systems and are ready to bypass Congress to make life and death decisions affecting millions of Americans. No one asked for this lawless approach to our critical government health care systems. We urge you to stop this threat to Americans’ health care, now,” the lawmakers continued.
Along with Wyden and Merkley, the letter was led by Senators Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., and Elizabeth Warren D-Mass., and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. The letter was also signed by Senators Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Chris Coons, D-Del., Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Mazie Hirono, D-Hawai’i, Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., Andy Kim, D-N.J., Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Jack Reed, D-R.I., Bernard Sanders, I-Vt., Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Tina Smith, D-Minn., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.
The letter text is here.
Next Article Previous Article
