She took part in a town hall meeting Thursday night addressing how the bill affects Maryland.
Rep April McLain Delaney (D-Md)
Frederick, Md (KM) The funding cuts contained in the massive budget reconciliation bill passed last week by Congress will have an impact in Maryland’s 6th District. That’s according to Representative April McClain Delaney.
The legislation contains reductions in Medicaid. McClain Delaney says one in seven of her constituents depend on this program for their medical needs. “And if think about it, 50 percent of women in this country who deliver are on Medicaid. And many of the elderly in nursing homes or have continuing care services that are under Medicaid,” she says.
The Congresswoman also noted the legislation cut funding for SNAP, which is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program It provides assistance to low income families so they can afford healthy food. She says one out of nine of her constituents are on SNAP. “For every dollar we put into SNAP, we get $1.50 back into our economy,” McClain Delaney said. “So farmers who are into SNAP won’t be able to do so; the grocery stores; the truckers. There’s an economic in addition to a health impact,”
She says she has heard from her constituents about this legislation. “There’s a lot of consternation about losing health care,:” says McClain Delaney
Congresswoman McClain Delaney urges her constituents to band together. . “Collectively, I think as a community we’re going to have to get in front of this tsunami of cuts by working on a community level with our Rotary groups and our businesses and our non-profits and our faith congregations to help fill some of the holes,” says McClain Delaney.
“At the federal level, I’m going to try to fight and claw back some of those monies over the upcoming months, looking toward the appropriations process and hopefully there will be some sanity that comes in,” she says.
Representative McClain Delaney joined Maryland Attorney Anthony Brown and State Comptroller Brooke Lierman at a town hall meeting in Germantown on Thursday night.
By Kevin McManus