McConnell & Rogers Remain Silent on Dangerous Cuts to Miner Safety as Guthrie Leads Charge to Gut Medicaid
44% of Eastern Kentuckians rely on Medicaid and GOP is proposing cuts
EASTERN KENTUCKY — Thursday, advocates from across Eastern Kentucky will convene to discuss the devastating impacts of federal cuts to programs that provide critical health services to Eastern Kentucky families and urge Kentucky’s Congressional delegation to stand up for their constituents and stop the damage before any further harm is done.
Congress and the Trump Administration are taking aim at programs that ensure access to medical care, food, and electricity. Moreover, the Administration is slashing programs that protect the health and safety of miners. However, much of Kentucky’s Congressional delegation is either remaining silent on these cuts or leading the charge for more.
Led by Chair Brett Guthrie, the House Energy and Commerce committee has proposed massive cuts to Medicaid.
Draft language released on Sunday night would cut the federal Medicaid budget by $716 billion over ten years and the CBO estimates that 8.6 million Americans would have their Medicaid coverage terminated, while millions more would become uninsured due to the expiration of the enhanced ACA subsidies at the end of the year. One in three Kentuckians rely upon Medicaid and an astounding 44% of Eastern Kentuckians in Representative Rogers’ district are enrolled in the program. Amid an increase in black lung diagnoses, epidemiologists and staff who specialize in researching and screening for the disease have been laid off as the Trump Administration delays the implementation of life-saving protections from silica dust. Dozens of mine safety offices are closing across the country, potentially sidelining the health and safety inspectors responsible for nearly 17,000 inspections from 2024 to 2025.
In addition to slashing health care, programs that provide access to food and electricity are on the chopping block. The House Agriculture Committee is seeking nearly $300 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by shifting program cost-burdens onto states and making an already onerous paperwork requirement more difficult to meet, particularly for children and older adults. SNAP is a lifeline used by over 276,000 households in Kentucky last month. In Hal Rogers’ district 22% of households use the program, spending a total of $323.97 million in SNAP in 2023. Eastern Kentucky families may also find it impossible to pay their energy bills. The Trump administration has laid off the staff that administered the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and proposed to eliminate the program in the FY26 budget.
In an online press conference on Thursday, advocates will share the impact of these cuts and rollbacks. As the House and Senate debate budget reconciliation and FY26 budget proposals, leaders from Kentucky – from Senator Mitch McConnell to Rep. Hal Rogers, who has one of the highest concentrations of miners with black lung in the country in his district – have the opportunity to provide more certainty to Eastern Kentucky families by fighting to preserve agencies and programs that are critical to families struggling to make ends meet or caring for a family member who is disabled.
When: Thursday, May 15, 2025 – 11 AM ET
Who:
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Courtney Rhoades, Black Lung Organizer, Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center
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Dr. John Jones, Medical Director, Primary Care Centers of Eastern KY
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Savannah Davis, Certified Community Health Worker, Access Family Health
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William McCool, President, Black Lung Association of Southeastern Kentucky
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Emily Foster, Owner, Revival Ridge Farms
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Sarah Pierce, Housing & Energy Affordability Program Coordinator, Metropolitan Housing Coalition
