PHOENIX — Following the nationwide Medicaid Day of Action, Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari delivered House Democrats’ Weekly Democratic Address. Rep. Ansari spoke from her hometown of Phoenix, Arizona and sounded off against Congressional Republicans’ plans to put accessible and affordable healthcare on the chopping block, gutting Medicaid, and devastating children, parents, people with disabilities, seniors in nursing homes, and America’s most vulnerable.
In her address, Rep. Ansari also shared the story of an Arizonan named Melanie who suffers from long-haul COVID. Cuts to Medicaid would harm Melanie and significantly impact research aimed at better understanding the effects of long-lasting COVID symptoms.
Watch Rep. Yassamin Ansari’s Weekly Democratic Address HERE.
You can download the video of the address HERE.
“House Republicans are planning the largest Medicaid cut in our nation’s history in order to give massive tax breaks to their billionaire donors like Elon Musk. It’s unconscionable and unacceptable. This week, House Democrats held a Medicaid Day of Action to stand up for the millions of hardworking Americans who rely on Medicaid to access the health care they need. I am grateful to one of our dynamic new Members, Rep. Yassamin Ansari, for delivering this week’s Democratic Address and amplifying the voices of people like Melanie whose lives will be devastated if Republicans get their way,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08).
“Rep. Ansari continues to be a strong advocate for the American people, using her voice to stand up for the working-class, for families, and for the hardworking people of Arizona’s 3rd Congressional District. I’m honored to stand alongside her in the fight to protect Medicaid,” said Assistant Democratic Leader Joe Neguse (CO-02).
Congresswoman Ansari’s remarks as delivered:
Hi, I'm Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari, representing Phoenix, Glendale, and Guadalupe in Congress. Nearly three months ago, I was officially sworn into Congress for my very first term representing Arizonans in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Before running for Congress, I served as a Phoenix City Councilwoman and Vice Mayor. Both in Phoenix and in Congress, my work has been informed by my own experiences as a daughter of Iranian immigrants and as a climate policy advisor at the UN, as well as by the stories I've heard from my family, my friends, and neighbors here in Arizona.
I know firsthand the issues that matter most to our community. I've spoken with immigrant families worried about ICE raids, visited veterans’ homes to hear about their concerns about cuts to the VA, and spoken with seniors worried they'll lose their Social Security.
This week on Democrats’ Medicaid Day of Action, I am proud to join my colleagues in engaging with folks at every level of government to fight back against Republicans’ plans to gut accessible and affordable health care that is a lifeline for so many of our neighbors.
Monday night, I had the privilege of speaking with a number of folks from the Arizona disability community about how cuts to Medicaid could devastate coverage needed by our most vulnerable. Then we hosted a press call with Protect Our Care about the effects of Medicaid cuts on our district. And then we spoke with hundreds of our constituents at a Town Hall in central Phoenix.
Across the country people are standing up against these cruel cuts. Nobody wants to see their health care ripped away from them. I just spoke to people here in Arizona’s 3rd District who are scared and angry that Republicans have put forth budgets that at best do nothing to protect Medicaid, and at worst, will leave them without the resources that they need to survive.
At our in-person Town Hall in Phoenix, folks shared stories about how cuts to Medicaid will devastate them.
One that resonated with me was Melanie. She suffers from long Covid. She is concerned about the cuts to NIH funding, and she was also not able to access her student loan portal. While my Democratic colleagues and I are out in our communities’ hearing stories like Melanie's, Republicans are too scared to even host town halls and face their constituents.
They are trying to cram through harmful budgets that benefit billionaires and their big donors at the expense of the working class. People across the country are standing up and speaking out about the extreme actions we are seeing from the Trump administration.
I want you to know that I am with you. I see you, and I am fighting for you.
If you are a parent worried about how you will get your child's essential medication, I am fighting for you. If you are a senior relying on your Social Security check to pay your rent, I am fighting for you. If you are an immigrant scared that ICE is going to tear your family apart, I am fighting for you. And if you are a trans person worried about being erased, I am fighting for you.
We know that the American people are with us. We see you using your voices and it's working. Because of you, we have been able to work through the courts to stop the Trump Administration in their tracks in many instances. And together we are going to continue to stand with working-class people and push back against these attacks on our communities.
We know that when we fight for and with the people, we win—and we are just getting started.
