‘Going to lose my daughter!' GOP rep confronted with mom’s heartbreaking warning

Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-IN) was forced to face the reality that one family will face as a result of his vote to pass the 2026 budget bill that slashes Medicaid, among other things.

CNN anchor Boris Sanchez cited a recent interview that reporter Jeff Zeleny did with a mom about how changes to Medicaid could impact her 9-year-old daughter with brain damage.

"She has cerebral palsy. She says that the only thing keeping her daughter alive is Medicaid. I want you to listen to what she shared with CNN," Sanchez said, playing the clip.

"I'm worried that the red tape is going to affect our Medicaid because of just the oversight burdens, and that as a result, I'm going to lose my daughter," the mom said.

Sanchez noted that the mother asked at one point in the interview, "Who's going to protect us when they can't get paperwork done in time and we lose coverage?"

Stutzman was asked to respond, but claimed that he just voted to protect Medicaid with his cuts.

"No, I empathize with her. And I tell you what, that's what Republicans are doing, is protecting Medicaid for people like her and for single moms, pregnant moms, you know, people that have found themselves in dire straits. You know, the Department of Justice just announced earlier this week a health care scam to the tune of about $14 billion, 300 people indicted," Stutzman said.

He claimed that Medicare and Medicaid cuts are necessary because people "are taking advantage" of the programs and "pocketing the money for profit."

"These programs can be healthy again if we keep them for those people who they're specifically for," he said after noting the DOJ was able to stop the fraud.

"If you're here illegally, it's not for you. If you're an able-bodied individual, it's not for you," he said of Medicaid. In fact, Medicaid is allowed for many able-bodied individuals who live below the poverty line.

Sanchez went on to hammer him over rural hospitals in his district, but Stutzman said he's not concerned.

'Yeah, I don't believe it will at all," he said about shutting down rural hospitals and clinics. "In fact, you know, one of the things that we do know is like states — like California, they take about $160 billion a year in reimbursements through Medicaid. That number alone is larger than the entire state budget of Florida."

California has the largest state economy in the United States and is ranked as the fifth-largest economy in the world, according to the International Monetary Fund. California also gives more money back to the federal government than it receives, the California Budget and Policy Center reported. It is considered a "donor state," while Indiana is considered a "taker state."

According to Stutzman, however, Medicare and Medicaid "are really meant, again, for all Americans, not just for those in California or New York that are taking advantage of programs or expanding the programs."

See the clip below or at the link here.

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