Rep. Watson Coleman Holds Town Hall in Rep. Van Drew’s District, Discusses Medicaid Cuts with New Jerseyans
Today, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) attended a town hall in Rep. Jeff Van Drew’s district (NJ-02) to discuss potential cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security in the House Republican budget resolution that was passed earlier this year.
Rep. Van Drew voted for the measure, which ordered the Energy and Commerce Committee to slash $880 billion from programs under their jurisdiction. It is mathematically impossible for the Committee to do that without significant cuts to Medicare and Medicaid.
“If Republicans wanted to govern responsibly, they would just do their jobs. They would sit down with us, negotiate, and help us pass real, bipartisan spending bills that protect all of us - not just billionaires,” said Rep. Watson Coleman. “Instead, they are taking what’s left of the power that Congress has, and handing it over to Trump out of fear of retribution. They’re doing this all while allowing the wealthiest Americans a free ride on our dime. It’s time for the GOP to stop caving to Trump’s every self-serving whim, to stop enriching Musk and his billionaire friends at the cost of the safety, security, and well-being of the American people.”
In Rep. Van Drew’s district, there are over 176,000 people on Medicaid, including more than 82,000 children and 17,000 seniors. The Republican budget resolution that Rep. Van Drew voted for puts their access to affordable healthcare at risk, while ballooning the deficit and giving the very richest Americans trillions of dollars in tax breaks.
Earlier this year, Rep. Watson Coleman challenged Reps. Van Drew, Kean, and Smith to hold town halls in their district to explain their vote on this bill. Rep. Van Drew was invited to the town hall today. His office did not respond.