Today, Georgians held a press conference to mark the 60th anniversary of Medicaid and Medicare by speaking out against the GOP U.S. Senate candidates who backed Trump’s budget law that cuts these critical programs and endangers Georgians’ lives. 

Candidates and potential candidates for Senate, including Rep. Buddy Carter, Rep. Mike Collins, and former failed and fired Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley, have all supported Donald Trump’s budget law that is set to rip away health insurance from 750,000 Georgians, threaten the ability of rural hospitals to keep their doors open, and even trigger automatic cuts of $500 billion to Medicare.

• “MAGA warrior” Rep. Buddy Carter told Georgians that he “wanted to cut Medicaid more” and was “very proud” to cut Medicaid.
  
• Rep. Mike Collins – a MAGA extremist who just entered the Georgia Senate race – said he wants people to “get off of Medicaid, get off of Social Security.”
  
• Former sub-par football coach Derek Dooley supports the bill despite the devastating impacts to Georgians.  

Recent polling also found that the majority of Georgians oppose Trump’s devastating budget law.

“Republicans wanted to give out massive tax cuts to billionaires, and in order to do so, they decided to cut nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid and another possible $500 million from Medicare. That’s what their bill does,” said DPG Chair Charlie Bailey. “Buddy Carter, Mike Collins, and Derek Dooley don’t deserve the votes of the people they support ripping health care from.”

“Georgians need Medicaid, they need it to survive, and Republicans like Buddy Carter, Mike Collins and Derek Dooley are putting this crucial program at risk of being able to survive another 60 years for families who need it,” said Teresa Acosta, an affordable health care advocate, single mother, and business owner. 

“I’ve been on Medicare for many years now, and the fact that Trump budget cuts would jeopardize the future of this program is a nightmare for seniors like me all over Georgia,” said Gloria Jenkins, a Georgia senior on Medicare. “These cuts will undo the promise that was made to Americans who spent their lives working and paying into Medicare over the last six decades.”