One Year Later: Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries Joins Congressman Tim Kennedy at Evergreen Health to Condemn the GOP's Healthcare Cuts

This press release from Representative Timothy M. Kennedy (D-NY) was published on 2026-07-29 and titled "One Year Later: Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries Joins Congressman Tim Kennedy at Evergreen Health to Condemn the GOP's".

One Year Later: Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries Joins Congressman Tim Kennedy at Evergreen Health to Condemn the GOP's Healthcare Cuts

Clinics Have Closed, Hospital Beds and Jobs Have Been Cut, and an Erie County Nursing Home Is Slated to Shut Down - With More Cuts Set to Hit Western New York in 2027 BUFFALO, N.Y. - House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08) joined Congressman Tim Kennedy (NY-26) at Evergreen Health on Tuesday to mark one year since Republicans in Congress passed the Big, Ugly Bill, enacting the largest healthcare cuts in American history. Leader Jeffries and Congressman Kennedy detailed its mounting toll on Western New York, including coverage losses for 470,000 New Yorkers who relied on the Essential Plan as of July 1, 2026. On top of that, clinics have closed, hospital beds and jobs have been cut, and a local nursing home in southern Erie County is slated to shutter, with additional cuts to Medicaid scheduled to take effect in 2027. “I stood shoulder-to-shoulder last year with doctors, nurses, union leaders, and healthcare leaders, and we warned what would happen when Republicans in Washington voted to enact the largest healthcare cut in American history in order to pay for permanent tax cuts for the wealthy and well-connected,” said Congressman Kennedy . “Clinics have closed, hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers have lost coverage, and premiums skyrocketed for those who were lucky enough to keep their insurance. A nursing home in our community is closing, with many more on the brink of financial collapse. As a direct result of these cuts, hospitals have been forced to cut hospital beds and jobs, weakening our healthcare safety net. Republicans own every single one of those losses. When Leader Jeffries is elected Speaker of the House in 2027, canceling the cuts and delivering for families struggling to make ends meet will be our top priority.” “Extreme MAGA Republicans have imposed the largest assault on healthcare in modern American history. Their One Big Ugly Bill included a $1 trillion cut to Medicaid, putting hospitals, nursing homes and community health centers at great risk all across the country,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08) . “Access to high-quality, affordable healthcare must be a right available to every single American. That's what House Democrats are going to work to bring to life here in Western New York and all across the country. Together, thanks to the work of fighters like Rep. Tim Kennedy, we will win back the House of Representatives and do all that is necessary to cancel the cuts, lower the cost and save healthcare.” "The 'Big Ugly Bill' is exactly what its name suggests: a giveaway to the wealthy paid for on the backs of working families,” said Senator Jeremy Zellner . “One year later, Americans are already seeing the consequences through higher healthcare costs, reduced access to care, and growing uncertainty, with even deeper Medicaid cuts still on the horizon. Healthcare should never be treated as a bargaining chip. I stand with Congressman Kennedy and Leader Jeffries in demanding these harmful cuts be reversed before even more families lose the care they depend on." Assemblymember Jon D. Rivera said, “A year after the passage of the so-called ‘One Big Beautiful Bill,’ Western New Yorkers are already feeling the consequences of Washington’s reckless healthcare cuts. These policies have put affordable healthcare further out of reach for working families, seniors, children, and individuals with disabilities who rely on Medicaid and other critical programs to access the care they need. At a time when families are already struggling with rising costs, these cuts have created even greater uncertainty and hardship for our communities. I am grateful to our Democratic leadership in Congress for continuing to shine a light on the real-world impact of these decisions and for their commitment to reversing these harmful cuts. I stand with them in the fight to protect access to care, strengthen our healthcare system, and ensure that every New Yorker can receive quality, affordable healthcare regardless of their income or ZIP code.” “Federal cuts to healthcare funding are devastating our Western New York community, creating job losses, limiting the availability of nursing home beds, eliminating critical care services, and shutting down healthcare facilities. Cuts to healthcare impact every Western New Yorker – whether you need reproductive care, elective surgery, or a place for your elderly loved one. When nursing homes like Jennie B Richmond in Springville, Weinberg Campus in Amherst or Absolut Care of Westfield closed – hundreds of nursing home beds were no longer available in our community. Without these beds, hospital patients must wait longer to be discharged into our long-term care system, creating longer wait times for hospital patients and limiting the list of available facilities where loved ones can be placed within our community. We must work together to cancel federal healthcare cuts and fully fund healthcare because quality healthcare for everyone is at risk,” said Gr