U.S. Sen. Patty Murray recently made several stops in the Tri-Cities using Congress’ August recess to rally support to halt federal budget cuts that will kick tens of thousands of area residents off Medicaid and slash more than 1,000 jobs from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

The senator’s Aug. 6 visit coincided with recent reports that PNNL is already planning to eliminate up to 130 positions through this fall. Congress has yet to formally adopt the Trump administration’s proposed budget for the U.S. Department of Energy that would cut funding for the lab as well as spending at the Hanford site.

“I’m going to rip up Trump’s budget and put where it belongs – the trash,” Murray said during one of two press conferences on federal cuts to health care, Hanford and PNNL. “And then, I’m going to do what I have always done: roll up my sleeves, reach across the aisle and work on writing a bipartisan funding bill that protects investments in PNNL and the Tri-Cities, and save the jobs President Trump is thoughtlessly seeking to eliminate.”

Congress passed the so-called Big, Beautiful Bill prior to the August recess, which is anticipated to cost Washington state $31 billion to $51 billion in federal Medicaid funding which is used to sustain the state’s Apple Health program. That threatens rural hospitals, Murray said, and the $50 billion earmarked for rural health care nationally in the bill is window dressing.

“This is bad news for everyone,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what insurance you have if you don’t have a hospital to go to.”

The Trump administration disputes the bill will close rural hospitals, kick families off Medicaid, cut Medicare and more.

Community leaders from the Tri-Cities as well as the Yakima Valley joined Murray at the podium to share how the cuts will affect the region.

Kristy Needham, CEO of Tri-Cities Community Health, said 70% of the federally qualified health center’s 29,000 patients rely on Medicare.  She and other hospital officials and health care providers said the cuts and additional restrictions on Medicaid coverage will lead to more people resorting to ER visits to receive care, which costs more and will financially strain hospitals.

“The people who lose Medicaid will still give birth and they’ll show up at the ER without prenatal care,” said Cynthia Flynn, managing partner of Columbia Birth Center in Richland. “I’ve worked in countries where only the rich had prenatal care. It doesn’t work out well.”

At the same time, Congress’ failure to renew the tax credit that helps subsidize many Americans’ insurance is already leading insurers to request double digit premium increases.

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray was in the Tri-Cities Aug. 6 using Congress’ August recess to rally support to halt federal budget cuts that will kick tens of thousands of area residents off Medicaid and slash more than 1,000 jobs from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

| Photo by Ty Beaver

Lab cuts

Meanwhile, a retired associate laboratory director from PNNL said that the proposed cuts to the lab would ripple across the region, costing thousands more jobs. Others noted that other reductions to the U.S. Department of Energy’s budget would end up costing taxpayers more money as work is delayed at the Hanford site while also discouraging the next generation of innovators.

“Congress is being asked to forgo American preeminence in science,” said Fred Raab, former associate director for observatory operations of the LIGO Laboratory and the former head of LIGO Hanford Observatory.

Federal lawmakers return to Washington, D.C., in September to resume the current congressional session and budget negotiations. There was some cautious optimism among those appearing with Murray that the most damaging aspects of the Energy budget could be mitigated. However, another extension of the 2024 federal spending levels will likely be needed before that resolution.

Murray said she has bipartisan support for her efforts in the Senate but that it will be an uphill battle to get her colleagues in the House, including U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Washington, to prevent damage and also undo the damage already being done.

“I would hope Dan listens to the (health care) providers here,” Murray said.

Newhouse is scheduled to provide a congressional update to business leaders at the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce’s annual luncheon from noon to 1 p.m. Aug. 27 at the Red Lion Hotel & Conference Center in Pasco. Cost: $36 for members, $46 for nonmembers. Go to: tricityregionalchamber.com.