FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 25, 2025
Contact: julian@paschalroth.com
SACRAMENTO, CA – The California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN) released the following statement from Executive Director Kiran Savage-Sangwan after all California House Republicans voted for a budget resolution that requires $880 million in health care and safety net cuts to pay for tax breaks for billionaires and large corporations:
“With their vote to recklessly strip $880 billion from vital safety net programs millions of Californians rely upon, California’s Republican house members made a clear choice to favor billionaires and extremists over the health of children, families, seniors, veterans and people with disabilities in their own districts whose lives depend on Medi-Cal. You can’t cut $880 billion from Medicaid without hurting seniors in nursing homes and children with disabilities, chronic conditions like asthma, and mental health challenges. Rushing to cut Medicaid doesn’t do anything to help people and families afford the cost of living, it will only drive up health care costs for the people who can least afford it and make health disparities worse. People who rely on Medi-Cal for health care are speaking out in town halls, protests, calls and emails to their congressmembers – and House Republicans must listen. One Republican member can stop these cuts, and Californians are watching to see who will step up to protect our care.”
As the federal budget process enters its next phase, CPEHN and the Fight For Our Health coalition are ramping up a campaign to tell California congressmembers to protect health care for millions of Californians. The Fight For Our Health coalition is made up of health, consumer, labor, children, senior, disability rights, LGBTQ+, small business, and community of color organizations across the state organizing on the ground efforts to stop any federal attempts to cut, cap, or otherwise take health care away from Californians. Over the last two weeks, the group has organized townhalls, protests, and an advertising blitz in the districts of Rep. David Valadao (C-22), Rep. Ken Calvert (CA-41) and Young Kim (CA-40) to hold them accountable for protecting health care for the 15 million Californians who count on Medi-Cal.
About the California Pan Ethnic Health Network
The California Pan Ethnic Health Network brings together and mobilizes communities of color to advocate for public policies that advance health equity and improve health outcomes in our communities. Learn more at cpehn.org.
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