Letters to the Editor: From Medicaid to the courts, readers raise concerns about Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’

To the editor: As Congress considers a sweeping legislative package that includes deep cuts to Medicaid, Californians should pay close attention (“White House pushes for quick approval of ‘big, beautiful bill,’ but key hurdles remain,” May 19). The Congressional Budget Office estimates that proposed changes would strip health coverage from at least 7.6 million Americans by 2034, a devastating blow to families already facing serious health challenges.

Thankfully, Reps. Young Kim and David Valadao took a strong stance, writing to House leadership, “We cannot and will not support a final reconciliation bill that includes any reduction in Medicaid coverage for vulnerable populations.” This statement is welcome news to the millions of Californians who rely on Medicaid, including those battling chronic diseases such as cancer or liver disease.

Proposed cuts, including work requirements, create unnecessary red tape and increase wasteful administrative spending. In fact, 92% of working-age individuals with Medicaid coverage are already working or are physically unable to work due to chronic illness or disability. As the executive director of the Liver Coalition of California, I am joining with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network to demand that our representatives continue to vote against cuts to Medicaid in any form. Healthcare should not be used as a bargaining chip.

Scott Suckow, San Diego

..

To the editor: According to Professor Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law, hidden in President Trump’s “big, beautiful” budget bill is a provision that will prohibit any court, including the Supreme Court, from stopping the administration from imposing a contempt ruling on any case unless there was a bond included in the case. Obviously, it’s rare that a federal case would require a bond, leaving the courts with almost no power to stop these cases.

If it is not removed from the House bill and is passed by the Senate, the courts will essentially be powerless. This means Congress, which has voluntarily relinquished any responsibility to stop the administration, and the courts will have little recourse to prevent this country from collapsing into an authoritarian dictatorship.

Carole Lutness, Valencia