Washington state Rep. Michelle Caldier, a Gig Harbor Republican, is asking the president to protect funding for Medicaid.
Caldier wrote a letter to President Donald Trump on Monday imploring him to reconsider any potential cuts to Medicaid, the government health care coverage for those with low income. Also noted in her letter are concerns regarding the job security of federal employees.
More than 21,000 federal professionals work in Kitsap County — higher than any other county in the state — and Bremerton’s Puget Sound Naval Shipyard also rests in Caldier’s district. She acknowledged that although she can’t vote on federal items as a state representative, funding for Medicaid is among the top concerns of those she represents.
“We have a large community of retired military and senior citizens who have honorably served their country their entire lives,” Caldier wrote in the March 24 letter.
The White House has vowed that it won’t slash Medicaid benefits. Yet some have cast doubt on that promise, with Axios reporting earlier this month that Trump has “opened the door” for U.S. Senate Republicans to seek Medicaid-related cost savings. Caldier says Congress is debating an $880 billion cut from federal healthcare programs that could last a decade.
Some 1.8 million people are enrolled in Medicaid in Washington.
The White House told McClatchy that Trump’s administration will safeguard the program while pursuing reforms.
“The American people gave President Trump a mandate to improve health care for everyday Americans while streamlining government bloat,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said via email. “The Trump administration is committed to protecting Medicaid while slashing the waste, fraud, and abuse within the program — reforms that will increase efficiency and improve care for beneficiaries.”
Caldier called Medicaid a “vital resource for millions of Americans,” including plenty of constituents who depend on it for essential health-care needs. Cuts to the program would disproportionately harm vulnerable communities, including the elderly, kids and residents with disabilities, she said.
“I understand that the current 90% federal match on Medicaid expansion was designed to be temporary,” Caldier wrote, “but Washington state is not in a position this year to backfill federal dollars if that rate was reduced.”
The letter comes as Washington is facing a significant budget shortfall, with state lawmakers considering a range of potential savings and cuts.
In addition to Medicaid, Caldier’s letter referenced the recent series of federal employee terminations. The Trump administration has claimed that mass federal layoffs are aimed at finding efficiencies, but critics argue that such firings could have the opposite effect.
Caldier wrote that many who dedicated their lives to public-service careers are now faced with uncertainty. She asked the President to offer affected workers ample time to look for new job opportunities before their termination is enacted.
“I may not have a vote in Congress,” Caldier said in a March 25 news release. “However, as an elected state representative, I have the voice of the people I represent. I will use that voice to help protect our vulnerable citizens and families struggling to make ends meet.”
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