Constituents hold a candlelight vigil and ask Congresswoman Miller-Meeks to protect Medicaid

Davenport, IA – Iowans from Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks’ district held a candlelight vigil on Thursday to raise awareness about the devastating impact the GOP budget bill would have on thousands of Iowans. 

Miller-Meeks sits on the Energy & Commerce Committee, which has been tasked with cutting $880 billion in Medicaid funding to pay for tax handouts for corporations and billionaires. The committee could mark up its piece of the GOP’s budget bill as soon as next week. If passed, this bill would rip away Medicaid coverage from children, seniors, people with disabilities, and hardworking families and could devastate our rural hospitals. 

Maria Taylor, shared her story of being hospitalized with a severe COVID-19 infection. When she woke up, she had to take months to relearn how to talk, eat and take care of her everyday needs. She explained that without Medicaid, she likely wouldn’t have even gone to the hospital in the first place. 

“Medicaid didn’t just cover a hospital stay—it covered my follow-up care, physical therapy, speech therapy, and the mental health support I needed to survive the trauma of nearly dying. It let me heal without the constant terror of how I would ever afford it all. Medicaid gave me dignity when I had nothing else to hold onto,” Taylor said. “Now, Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Congressional Republicans are pushing to slash that lifeline, proposing cruel cuts to Medicaid funding and adding burdensome work reporting requirements. Let me be clear: these are not just budget numbers. These are death sentences for thousands of people like me.”

Rabbi Henry Jay Karp, shared his family’s story of caring for his son who has disabilities. He believes Medicaid gave them the best outcome, and wants that to be protected for others in the country. 

“What makes a nation great is letting a rising tide lift all ships,” Karp said. “It is lifting up those who need to be lifted. It is assisting those who need our assistance. It is treating every life with dignity, respect, and care, in support of their quest for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  Medicaid does that, and they are trying to take it away! We can’t let them!”