Dear [salutation],

The Senate took up the Big (not so) Beautiful Bill recently and made cuts to Medicaid more painful. This is going to devastate healthcare across the country, and even in CA50, which is the fifth least dependent on Medicaid in California, 21% of our residents get healthcare from Medicaid. Our hospitals also rely on Medicaid for their funding, and will be financially devastated by these cuts. At a time when so many people are struggling to pay their bills, this increase in the financial burden of healthcare will be impossible for many families. And as with the House's version, none of the cuts will reduce the budget deficit. They all go toward compensating for the loss of revenue from the planned tax cuts. I expect to go back soon to vote on a final bill that reconciles the House and Senate versions.

I have long argued that the only way to bring our surging national debt under control is to responsibly cut spending, especially for real waste, fraud, and abuse, while also ensuring that everyone pays their fair share. This balanced approach is the best way to deal with our unsustainable national debt. Not only does the Republican bill not take such a balanced approach, but it also actually adds $4 trillion and counting to the debt and brings the country closer to bankruptcy. I will continue lobbying the dozen or so Republicans who have the power to stop this obscene bill.