H. Con. Res. 14
Floor Speech
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Mr. WARNOCK. Mr. President, I rise tonight in strong opposition to this awful, and, frankly, immoral budget. Recently, I was appointed to the Finance Committee of the U.S. Senate, and the reason why I wanted to serve on that committee is because I wanted to get a chance to shape the Nation's budget.
As I thought about all of the things that I have fought for long before I came to the Senate, access to healthcare, access to learning and early education for all of our children, ensuring that people could retire with dignity--as I thought about the things that I cared about, I wanted to serve in a place where I might have an impact on our Nation's budget.
And that is because, for me, a budget is not just a fiscal document, it is a moral document. It is not just numbers and figures. It is not just dollars and cents.
Show me your budget, and I will show you who you think counts and who doesn't. Show me your budget, and I will show you what you think matters and what doesn't. Show me your budget, and I will show you your priorities.
Jesus said:
Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
And I have to say that if this budget that is being proposed were an EKG, it would suggest that the U.S. Congress has a heart problem and is in need of moral surgery. Why else would you propose, among other things, to cut up to $880 billion from Medicaid?
I could talk about many aspects of this budget tonight, but I will just stick with Medicaid, programs that provide healthcare to the most vulnerable citizens, the children, to the severely disabled, to seniors in nursing homes. In fact, 71 percent of all Medicaid enrollees in Georgia are children--71 percent. And I think it is important to underscore that because sometimes when we use these terms ``Medicaid,'' there may be folks at home wondering, well, who are we talking about? Who are these people? Well, 71 percent of them are your children.
And so this budget is dangerous. It is cynical. It is wrong-headed. I believe in addressing waste and fraud and abuse, and I would sign up quickly to deal with that in our government.
But there isn't enough waste, fraud, and abuse to cut $880 billion out of Medicaid. And that is not just me saying that. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said that the proposed GOP budget would require cuts to the Medicaid people rely on. So don't be fooled. Don't be tricked by the funny math, by the games to cover up what is really happening here. And if I were them, I would be ashamed of it and trying to hide it too.
But they can't hide from the fact that they are about to take healthcare away from children. It is really that simple. And so why? Why are we cutting access to healthcare? A human right to 1.3 million children in Georgia, quarter of a million Georgian seniors, over 37 million kids nationwide, 9.3 million seniors nationwide--why should they go to bed tonight wondering if the Congress is getting ready to pull the rug out from under them?
Well, the answer is, sadly, very simple: to pay for tax cuts to the richest of the rich, all while adding $5 trillion to the Nation's debt. Think about that. A plan that would cut healthcare to our most vulnerable citizens, including children living in the dawn of life and elders living in the twilight of life, while adding $5 trillion to the Nation's debt, $37 trillion potentially over 30 years, and so we are taking healthcare for children and then burdening them with the consequences of this terrible decision.
And so I rise tonight just to say that America is better than this. This is not who we are at our core. And the data demonstrates that the people--the people at home, ordinary folks don't want this. This is symptomatic of the ways in which the people's voices have been squeezed out of their democracy and the folks who are sent here to represent them are representing other interests.
And that is why every Sunday I return to my pulpit at Ebenezer Baptist Church. I am blessed to stand there. I am the preacher, but it is good to be in that atmosphere. It reminds me what ordinary people look like and their concerns and their needs. And sometimes, when I stand in that pulpit, I am reminded that Martin Luther King, Jr., who was copastor, said that of all the injustices, inequality in healthcare is the most shocking and the most inhumane.
It is the honor of my life to be able to stand there and preach every Sunday. The Gospel tells us about a man who healed the sick, even those with preexisting conditions, and never billed them for his services. And that is why I am a Matthew 25 Christian. My work is informed by the words of that Gospel.
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.
And some asked the Master, when were You hungry? Lord, when were You thirsty? When were You a stranger? When were You sick?
And the answer came:
Truly, I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it also unto me.
This is not for me simply a policy argument; it is a moral discussion. It is about who we are fundamentally. What is the character of our Nation? To center the 41 percent of Georgia children who rely on Medicaid, I think that is what keeping the faith looks like; to center the exhausted mom who is working multiple, unpredictable jobs but still needs Medicaid to get the healthcare she needs--many of the folks who need Medicaid go to work every day.
In Georgia, 600,000 folks who are in the Medicaid gap, all of this talk about work requirements, the overwhelming majority of those folks go to work every day or they are in school or they are taking care of a disabled person.
Keeping the faith means centering the Georgia seniors who rely on Medicaid to cover the cost of living in a nursing home. That is why in 2017, years before I knew I would even run for political office, let alone serve in the Senate, I came to this building, but I came as a faith leader. I came with other faith leaders across various religious traditions and people who claim no particular faith tradition but people of moral courage. And we gathered in the Rotunda, and they were discussing, back then another reconciliation bill. And, once again, that bill would cut the social safety net programs like Medicaid and food assistance.
And so we came here to bear witness to who we are at our best as a nation. And as we gathered in the Rotunda, the Capitol Police gathered, and we were singing, and we were praying. And they said: Sorry, you can't sing, and you can't pray in the Rotunda.
I thought to myself somebody needed to pray.
And they said:
Respectfully, we will give you three warnings, and if you don't move, we will have to arrest you.
What they didn't understand was that I had already been arrested. My mind and my imagination had been arrested by the words of Dr. King who taught us that the true measure of a person is not where he or she stands in moments of comfort and convenience but in moments of challenge and controversy. We are tied in a single garment of destiny, caught up in an inescapable network of mutuality, and whatever affects one affects all indirectly. My mind had already been arrested. My moral imagination had been arrested. And so that felt like a small price to pay.
And so I call on the people who are at home to call your Senator, call your Congress person, tell them that this is not right, it is not fair, it is not true to our highest values.
There are some 2,000 verses in the Scripture that tell us how to treat people who are in need, how to treat the poor; and maybe that is why faith leaders all across the State of Georgia have been reaching out to me in advance of this debate.
Atlanta Bishop Jack Lumanog from the Anglican Diocese of St. Ignatius Loyola reached out to me earlier this month, and here are some excerpts from the letter he sent to me. He said:
I am grateful to be one of your constituents in Georgia and to write to a fellow pastor whose voice carries both moral authority and legislative power in this defining moment for our nation. However, I write to you today with a heavy heart, deeply troubled by the state of our nation.
As a faith leader, I am increasingly concerned for the most vulnerable among us--those who rely on Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security. These vital programs appear to be next in line for cuts by DOGE that could threaten the well-being of millions. Scripture--
He says-- reminds us that ``whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.''
It is our moral duty to advocate for the dignity and security of those who depend on these essential safety nets. We cannot allow them to be dismissed amid political and economic maneuvering by unelected bureaucrats like Elon Musk, who have placated the legislature and judiciary while wielding outsized influence over public policy, all while bypassing democratic accountability.
Please be assured of my prayers for you and your leadership during this critical moment in our nation's history. May you find strength in your faith and courage in your convictions as you continue to fight for justice and righteousness.
Thank you, Bishop Lumanog. You are not alone in your witness. Earlier in the year, the three largest Catholic organizations in the country-- the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Catholic Health Association, and Catholic Charities USA--urged lawmakers to protect and strengthen Medicaid as a matter of faith.
They wrote:
The Catholic Church teaches that human life is sacred, and all people have inherent dignity and worth. As Catholic bishops and organizations that provide health care and social services on behalf of the church, we firmly believe that all people have the right to those necessities needed to live, found a family and flourish. As you address reconciliation priorities, we urge you to prioritize those most in need and working families and protect the Medicaid program.
We are hearing from a range of faith leaders because they understand that the acid test of someone's faith is the depth of their commitment to the most marginalized members of the human family.
Nearly 2 million people in Georgia are enrolled in Medicaid; that is one in five Georgians. And 1.3 million children in Georgia are enrolled in Medicaid; that is over 40 percent of every Georgia child, two in every five children. A quarter of a million Georgia seniors rely on Medicaid, including those living in nursing homes, that is around one in seven Georgia seniors. And they are united in opposition to cuts to Medicaid. I hear their stories all the time. I want to just share a couple of them with you.
Bristeria was excited to learn that she would be expecting her first child, but her initial excitement quickly gave way to fear and anxiety as her pregnancy proved to be most difficult.
During the pregnancy, doctors needed to perform an emergency operation, followed by an unexpected C-section delivery. And at the time of her pregnancy, Bristeria was working a part-time job that did not offer health benefits.
Through family, friends, and coworkers, she discovered that she was eligible for Medicaid, which ultimately provided critical assistance in covering the cost of the care she needed through delivery.
She was both relieved and grateful that a difficult pregnancy ended in the birth of a healthy baby boy. Now she is the proud mother of two. She works full time as a deputy county clerk. She is now enrolled in an employer-provided health plan. But she remains forever grateful that Medicaid was there for her when she needed it.
It provided a temporary safety net amid a challenging pregnancy, and now her life is much better because of it.
Naomi enrolled in Medicaid after she lost her job when pregnant with her son Noah. Noah was born prematurely at just 26 weeks and lives with chronic and medically complex conditions that require round-the-clock care. Noah's Medicaid coverage is provided through a combination of innovative programs, including Georgia's Right from the Start initiative for comprehensive health services and the Katie Beckett waiver program for children with complex medical needs.
All over our country, there are children like Noah. His mom says:
If we didn't have Medicaid, we would be in dire straits.
Elisabeth from Ellijay, GA, says:
Our lives depend on prescription medications [and] accessibilities. . . . Please, help us. Losing Medicaid would hurt disabled people or even potentially kill us without access to our medication. . . . When it comes to politics or access to healthcare, disabled people are often left out and no one thinks of the consequences of taking away the things that help us. We live in forced poverty already and Medicaid is essential. Please think of us and be a voice for those who can't speak out.
Finally, when Cindy was 17 years old--Cindy from Atlanta--she was a star athlete and a great student preparing to go to college and enroll in ROTC. Her parents, who are refugees from Vietnam, moved to the United States to give her a better life, and she wanted to make them proud.
But when she started feeling exhausted all the time and noticed swelling in her lymph nodes, she knew something was wrong. And after several visits to various doctors and the hospital, she was diagnosed with stage II non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Obviously, that was devastating news for her and for her family, but they were at least grateful that Medicaid would cover all the treatment Cindy needed to survive.
And just after Thanksgiving, her senior year in high school, Cindy started chemotherapy. Each session lasted 3\1/2\ hours, and she had to do them every other week for 6 months. She went to classes as much as she could, took the SAT, and continued her plans to go to college. She went to her senior prom, even though it was just 2 days after her chemotherapy.
But now Cindy is 30 years old. She is cancer free. She is fascinated by all things aerospace, and she formed a group at her school to advocate for a new major in the field. She says:
When I was 17, I was diagnosed with Stage 2 non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Because of Medicaid, I was able to catch my cancer early, and today, I'm cancer-free. I'm following my dreams of becoming an aerospace engineer, and I'm living proof that Medicaid saves lives.
That is really the heart of it: Medicaid saves lives.
And so I wanted to share these stories tonight because these are the stories of ordinary people. These are the stories of the folks who will not be able to stand on the Senate floor, but they need a voice. These are their stories. But in a real sense, these are our stories because, as Dr. King said: We are ``tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one . . . affects all indirectly.''
We got to know this very well over the last few years, during the COVID-19 pandemic. A deadly airborne disease meant that if my neighbor was sick, I was potentially imperiled. That doesn't make my neighbor my enemy. That simply means I had an investment in my neighbor's health. My neighbor's healthcare was good for my health.
And so that is the spirit with which we ought to be addressing something as sacred as crafting a nation's budget. I need other people's children to be OK for my children to be OK. I need people with disabilities to be OK for my children to be OK. I need seniors at nursing homes to be OK for all of us to be OK. I need children with cerebral palsy to be OK for my children to be OK.
We need to look into each other's eyes and into the eyes of other people's children, and see our own.
So over the next few days, this body will be voting on a budget, and I submit that the budget says a whole lot about the body. It is a moral EKG, and the question is: Are we well or do we have a heart condition?
I submit that, for all of our challenges, we suffer not from a poverty of resources but a poverty of moral imagination. We are bigger, better, and stronger when our reach is wide and when we dare to build a nation that embraces all of our children. God gives us strength, grace, and moral courage to get it right.
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