Rep. Jim Costa is calling on Republicans to resist cutting Medicaid funding, which is part of a proposed budget resolution supported by Pres. Donald Trump. Photo illustration by Cecilia Lopez

Rep. Jim Costa (D-Fresno) condemned Republican-led efforts to slash Medicaid funding Tuesday, warning that such cuts would devastate Central Valley patients and health care providers.

A vote on a proposed budget resolution that could slash up to $880 billion from Medicaid over the next decade was postponed this week after facing opposition from House Democrats and a growing number of Republicans.

The House had planned to vote on the resolution Wednesday, April 9.

Costa addressed the issue during a telephone town hall Tuesday, calling the plan “cruel and inhumane” and warning it would severely harm vulnerable communities.

“This congressional district that you live in — that I represent — has the third-highest Medicaid recipient population of all the congressional districts in America,” Costa said of District 21. “Of my 800,000 constituents, 456,000 are covered by Medicaid.”

Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program, serves over 15 million people statewide — including more than 1.8 million in the Central Valley.

“This is the difference between life and death for so many countless families,” Costa said. Cuts, he added, would strain hospitals, close rural clinics and overload emergency rooms.

Callers raised concerns about services for people with disabilities, children, undocumented immigrants and the capacity of health centers to stay open.

Costa said shifting the financial burden from the federal government to the states would be catastrophic.

“Our nonprofit clinics served 31 million patients last year — 69% covered by Medicaid,” he said.

Costa also referenced the 2022 closure of Madera Community Hospital, calling it a “cautionary tale,” and criticized fellow lawmakers for their silence or support of the proposal.

While GOP District 5 Rep. Tom McClintock has yet to respond, District 22 Rep. David Valadao has suggested he might support the budget depending on its final impact on Medicaid and SNAP, Costa said.

Defending the plan to cut $880 billion, House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a post on X from February that they will be careful that people who are eligible for benefits won’t be cut.

“Medicaid is for single mothers with small children who are just trying to make it,” Johnson said. “It’s not for 29-year-old males sitting on their couch playing video games.”

Costa closed the meeting with a call to protect “affordable, accessible care” for all: “You can’t claim to represent rural America while voting to take away public health care from those who need it.”

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A longer version of this story will be published in the Friday, April 11 print edition of The Business Journal.com.