Washington, D.C. – Today, Donald Trump is holding a press conference to tout his so-called rural hospital fund — after cutting over $1 trillion from health care that created this crisis in the first place. Because of these cuts, over 600 hospitals, nursing homes, and maternity wards have closed, cut services, or are at risk of disappearing from their communities nationwide. People across the country, including seniors, expectant mothers, and people with cancer, will have to travel farther to get basic care and endure longer wait times in emergency rooms. Trump and Republicans are sacrificing hospitals and life-saving care to fund tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations. As more hospitals and clinics close, the damage will only get worse.
“Donald Trump is full of it,” said Protect Our Care President Brad Woodhouse. “A one-time $50 billion fund won’t undo $1 trillion in Medicaid and Affordable Care Act cuts, won’t stop closures, and won’t bring care back to communities that already lost it. Rural hospitals are closing, cutting services, and laying off staff because Trump and Republicans gutted coverage and hospital budgets to provide tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations. Communities are hemorrhaging emergency rooms, maternity care, and local doctors, forcing patients to travel hours for basic care. Now, Trump wants applause for a fund that leaves struggling rural communities behind. It’s a band-aid over a bullet hole, designed for a headline, not a solution for rural families.”
Background:
- Protect Our Care: Across The Country, Americans Know Trump’s ‘Rural Health Fund’ is Nothing but a Rural Health Ripoff
- Protect Our Care: Republicans’ Pity Fund Fails To Stop Hospitals From Bleeding Out Due To GOP Cuts
- Health Care Brew: CMS Is Dispersing The Rural Health Fund, But Experts Say It Doesn’t Offset Medicaid Cuts
- Third Way: The GOP’s New Rural Health Program: All Show and No Go