News + Press
News + Press
News + Press
Capito and Justice Vote to Rip Away Health Care and Food Assistance From West Virginians
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 1, 2025
In response to Republican Senators Shelly Moore Capito and Jim Justice voting for the GOP’s devastating budget, West Virginia Democratic Party Chair Mike Pushkin released the following statement:
“Senators Capito and Justice once again failed to stand up for West Virginia, caving and passing Donald Trump's disastrous billionaire-first budget. This budget won’t make life better for West Virginians, it will rob them of their health insurance, take food off the table, and kill good-paying jobs — all to line the pockets of the GOP’s billionaire donors. This budget is nothing short of an attack on working families across West Virginia. Democrats in West Virginia are mobilizing to hold Republicans accountable everywhere because the stakes have never been higher.”
Republicans are putting West Virginian's health care, food assistance, and jobs on the chopping block.
Facts:
Republicans cut over $1 trillion from Medicaid — the largest cut to Medicaid in American history
The GOP budget rips away health care from 69,000 West Virginians
7 rural hospitals are at risk of closing — ripping away access to critical emergency medical care for millions of Americans
1 in 4 nursing homes will potentially have to close their doors, and over half of nursing homes will be forced to cut staff
Thousands of West Virginians are at risk of losing food assistance, forcing working families and children to go hungry
Unions are warning this is the “biggest job-killing bill in the history of the country”
If this bill is signed into law, it will threaten 1.75 million construction jobs and 2 million energy jobs
… all to fund another round of tax handouts for their billionaire donors.
This bill is nothing short of a direct transfer of wealth from the poorest Americans to the wealthiest
This budget is the most regressive budget in 40 years — and possibly ever
The poorest 20% of Americans will lose 3.8% of their income while the richest 20% will see their incomes increase by 3.7%
This bill cuts $1.3 trillion in food assistance and health coverage while giving the wealthy that exact amount in tax breaks
It wasn’t enough for Republicans to rip away health care, food assistance, and jobs — they also voted to make West Virginian's lives more expensive and dangerous. This budget also:
Adds $3.25 trillion to the national debt, while revenues fall by $4.47 trillion
Increases energy bills by hundreds of dollars across the country
Endangers our communities by making it easier to buy dangerous firearms and silencers
On top of all that, just moments after the bill passed the Senate, the Trump administration announced the appointment of Moore Capito as the next U.S. Attorney for West Virginia – confirming rumors that Senator Capito had sold her vote in exchange for her son's appointment. “That's not public service,” said Democratic Party Chair Mike Pushkin, “that's a blatant quid pro quo.”
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