Editor’s note: The following remarks as prepared by Deborah Weinstein, Executive Director, Coalition on Human Needs and delivered in front of the Supreme Court for the Moral Mondays in DC at the Capitol event series convened by Bishop William J. Barber, II on June 2nd, 2025.

Deborah’s remarks starts around 01:19:45 timestamp. 

Thank you for the opportunity – the gift – to stand with you today, at this Moral Monday in DC.

I’m here to talk about a moral outrage – a legislative proposal to slash well over one trillion dollars from essential federal programs that provide health care and food to millions of people, with members of Congress from Speaker Johnson on down having the nerve to deny that people will be hurt. 

Today, here at the seat of federal power, we speak the moral truth – this bill will deny millions of people the health care, food and income that they need. Cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act and SNAP will mean older people, children, working poor, immigrants here legally, and people with disabilities will lose their health insurance and food assistance.

Millions of people will no longer have their basic needs met because of broken promises, higher costs, and rigid red tape. 

An example of a broken promise – immigrants here, following the law, now reaching retirement age after having legally worked and paid into Medicare for at least ten years and usually decades, who are by law now eligible to enroll in Medicare, will suddenly be denied Medicare. Another broken promise: 4.5 million children, citizens or lawful permanent residents, will lose the Child Tax Credit if one of their parents doesn’t have a Social Security number. 

The bill is full of higher costs for those who can least afford it. Isn’t that the opposite of what was promised? Workers with low incomes will have to pay more for their Affordable Care Act insurance – millions won’t be able to afford it and will lose health coverage. Medicaid enrollees with incomes just above the poverty line will now have to pay up to $35 for medical visits or care.

And the rigid red tape? Too many examples in the time I have, but here are a few – the so-called work requirements are really red tape reporting requirements – in both Medicaid and SNAP. There is a wealth of evidence that every time people are required to produce documents to prove their eligibility, significant numbers cannot do so – sometimes they don’t even receive the notice, or can’t understand it, or do not have access to the documents required, or can’t get through to the Medicaid or SNAP office. Where these red tape requirements have been imposed, eligible people were denied benefits – people with disabilities, or caring for a dependent, or working – because they could not break through the bureaucracy. 

The bill attacks the Affordable Care Act with red tape and cuts – guaranteed to result in some people losing their insurance. 

These red tape roadblocks will deny SNAP and health care to millions of children, many of whom will also lose free school meals. 

At the same time, the bill dramatically reduces money available to states for SNAP and Medicaid – and that will mean even less help for people trying to get through the red tape, and is likely to lead states to cut back programs even more. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson said “4.8 million people will not lose their Medicaid unless they choose to do so.” It is a moral outrage to willfully deny the harsh reality that the House of Representatives has narrowly voted for – we call upon the Senate to say NO, be moral, and protect your constituents.