DWC Chair Leger Fernández, Whip Clark, Rep. Dingell, Sen. Klobuchar, Sen. Cortez Masto Host “Big Betrayal of Women” Forum
***Watch the Forum here***
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Yesterday, Wednesday, June 11, Democratic Women’s Caucus Chair Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03), Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-05), and DPCC Chair Debbie Dingell (MI-06) joined Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) to host a forum on Republicans’ “Big Betrayal of Women.”
During the forum, impacted women and experts provided powerful testimony about the attacks on women in Republicans’ so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” including cuts to Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, and food assistance; regressive tax policies; and blocking access to reproductive health care.
Democratic Women’s Caucus Members Lori Trahan (MA-03), Hillary Scholten (MI-03), Emilia Sykes (OH-13), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Jennifer McClellan (VA-04), and Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03) and Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) asked impacted women and experts to share more about their stories, their expertise, and how they’ll be impacted by Republicans’ Big Betrayal of Women. The forum is available HERE.
“Republicans’ cuts to Medicaid and Medicare will close rural hospitals leaving rural communities without care. Women will have to drive two to three hours to give birth or go to an emergency room,” said Democratic Women’s Caucus Chair Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03). “The moms we heard from today shared their pain, their love for the people they care for, and how Medicaid and SNAP are essential. Despite working hard, some with multiple jobs, there’s no money left at the end of the month to put food on the table or pay for the medical care their families need. Shame on Republicans who don’t recognize this hard work and instead want to give tax breaks to those making more than $3 million a year. ”
“Republicans are openly and shamelessly betraying women and families across the country,” said House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-05). “From the day Trump took office, Republicans have attacked child care and public schools, hiked the costs of essentials with senseless tariffs, and pummeled Americans with economic uncertainty. Now, this Big, Ugly Bill is tearing away health care, food assistance, and reproductive freedom from women and girls. I thank the witnesses who came forward today to share their stories and help expose this bill for what it is: an effort to make life harder and more expensive for working families while further enriching a few billionaires.”
“Donald Trump’s Big Ugly Bill is a devastating betrayal of America’s working women, who will pay the price for tax breaks for billionaires,” said House DPCC Chair Debbie Dingell (MI-06). “From deep cuts to Medicaid to taking food away from kids and parents, this bill is wrong. Today’s hearing is another important step Democrats are taking to raise the alarm and stop this bill."
“Republicans are trying to raise costs and take health care and food away from millions of women, to fund tax breaks for the wealthy,” said Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). “I wish the President would be here today to hear this. I wish our Republican colleagues would be holding hearings like this, because then maybe they would be willing to stand up. If they heard from witnesses like we have, they would know that doing this—giving tax breaks to the wealthy on the backs of everyday Americans—is wrong.”
“From kicking hard-working women off of Medicaid, to slashing food assistance to mothers and their children, to further restricting access to reproductive health care, Republicans’ tax bill is an attack on women and families across the country,” said Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV). “The women I heard from in today’s spotlight forum shined a light on what Republicans are willing to trade away to fund tax cuts for billionaires.”
Providing first-hand testimony on the impacts of Republicans’ Big Betrayal were Nancy Baker Curtis from Iowa, a mother of a child with disabilities who relies on Medicaid; Felecia Smith from Kansas, a working mother of four who relies on SNAP; and Katina Moss from Virginia, a self-employed woman who relies on Medicaid. Providing expert testimony were Shalanda Young, Distinguished Scholar in Residence, Tax Law Center at NYU Law; and Jocelyn Frye, President of the National Partnership for Women & Families.
“Medicaid’s in-home daycare, respite care, and case management under Iowa’s Health and Disability Waiver have allowed me to return to work as a teacher. It also made it possible for Charlie to attend school with proper support—like a nurse on his IEP team, seizure training for staff, and speech and occupational therapy,” said Nancy Baker Curtis from Grimes, IA. “But now, we’re scared. We’ve just begun the process of transitioning Charlie to Iowa’s Intellectual Disability Waiver. And we’re terrified about federal funding cuts. If those go through, Charlie could lose everything we fought years to get.”
“As an employee of the school district I only get paid once a month. By the time I get my bills paid, I have nothing left to buy food or to buy any other basic needs,” said Felecia Smith from Manhattan, KS. “If it wasn’t for the SNAP program, I wouldn’t be able to feed my children and myself. Without this program, I would have to find another job and not be able to see my kids or give them the attention they need during these important teen and pre-teen years.”
“Women like me rely on Medicaid to survive. And the people who rely on us for care want the program to be strengthened, not cut,” said Katina Moss from Richmond, VA. “Over 1 million women are enrolled in Medicaid in Virginia, including over 320,000 through our Medicaid expansion program. Nationally, most women enrolled in Medicaid are either working or have caregiving responsibilities. In my case, both.”
“We know what works – and we know what a Congress determined to help families make ends meet can do for the American people. That’s not what is happening with the Republican budget bill,” said Shalanda Young, Distinguished Scholar in Residence, Tax Law Center at NYU Law. “Rather than build on the historic decline in poverty from the 2021 expansion, the Republican budget bill includes some of the most damaging cuts to basic needs programs that we have ever seen.”
“This bill does little to invest in working people and to help them take better care of their families. For example, millions of workers need access to paid leave to avoid losing money in their paychecks in case of an emergency,” said Jocelyn Frye, President of the National Partnership for Women & Families. “But this bill extends and expands a tax credit that has largely benefited big corporations and failed to meaningfully increase access to paid leave for workers.”
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