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Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slammed “disrespectful” comments and attempts to cut her off from asking questions while the congresswoman pressed House Republicans over whether proposed cuts to Medicaid could impact pregnant women and women who miscarried.
A heated exchange at nearly 3 a.m. inside the House Energy and Commerce committee followed the New York congresswoman’s attempts to get GOP lawmakers to answer whether proposed restrictions for the federal health program serving low-income Americans and families could leave people who experienced miscarriages behind.
“Pregnancy is covered, correct? As an exemption?” asked Ocasio-Cortez, noting the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturning Roe v Wade has severely limited reproductive healthcare access across the country.
“What about miscarriage?” she asked.
Republican Rep. Randy Weber of Texas repeatedly interrupted and accused the congresswoman of directing her remarks to cameras, not to GOP lawmakers in the room.
“I’m gonna have to stop. I’m reclaiming my time,” he said. “I just want to make the point that we’d like for you to address the Republicans and let's have a dialogue this way and not through a camera.”
“But I’m asking a question — what about miscarriages?” she said. “I’m trying to engage in a way that the gentleman requested.”
GOP Rep. Buddy Carter of Georgia jumped in, telling her she was “out of order.”
“Oh, so we don’t want to answer for women having miscarriages and bleeding out in parking lots. Got it,” she said.
According to the GOP’s counsel on the committee, people who experienced miscarriages would be exempt from proposed work requirements for Medicaid coverage if their condition was considered part of postpartum coverage in their state.
Democratic lawmakers and advocates fear strict work requirements for Medicaid coverage could threaten coverage for pregnant Americans and people with disabilities, which Republicans dispute.
Police dragged out disability rights protesters in wheelchairs who demonstrated inside Tuesday’s hearing, calling out “you will kill me” and “liar.”
The middle-of-the-night exchange came in the middle of a lengthy debate about the future of the healthcare program as Republican lawmakers try to gut $880 billion in federal spending through 2034 to support Donald Trump’s domestic agenda.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office reported that Republicans cannot reach those goals without drastic cuts to Medicaid.
Under the GOP proposal, 9.7 million to 14.4 million people would be at risk for losing Medicaid coverage in 2034 if they are unable to show they meet the work requirements, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates proposed cuts and expiration of funding for federal health insurance programs could strip coverage for more than 13.7 million Americans. More than 70 million people currently get health coverage through the program.
“There are 13.7 million Americans on the other side of that screen there. Hello! Hello,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “I’m talking to you because I work for you. They deserve to see what is happening here because there are plenty of districts — including Republican ones — where 25 percent of your constituents are on Medicaid, 40 percent of your constituents are on Medicaid.”
When Weber asked her to yield her time, she said: “I will not yield because it was a terribly disrespectful comment, and I will not yield to disrespectful men.”
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