I am very concerned about cuts to Medicaid proposed in the U.S.House Budget Resolution. I have a personal interest because I have family members who receive Medicaid to cover their health care. Many of you may also be affected by the proposed cuts. Perhaps you, yourself receive benefits or maybe you have a child, other family member, or a friend who receives Medicaid benefits. Most of the recipients work or want to work, but simply can not earn enough to cover the high costs of healthcare. The cost of child care prohibits some from working, people with mental health issues keep them from the workforce, and low wages keep the “working poor” from being able to afford health care. Legislators will tell you they are not cutting Medicaid, but the fact is the $880 billion cuts required of the Energy and Commerce commission, which handles Medicaid policy, can only be achieved by deep cuts to Medicaid and SNAP (food stamps). Estimates for Iowa include a $1 trillion cut to Medicaid and SNAP will result in the loss of 9,800 jobs and cut the Iowa GDP by $1 billion in the first year. Those are significant numbers. Why do our Senators, Grassley and Ernst and Representative Feenstra twist the truth about the cuts and why do they want to hurt so many of their constituents?