House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries pointed to a rare moment of bipartisan unity in Louisiana politics on Friday during a stop in New Orleans: a bipartisan state resolution urging Congress not to cut Medicaid.
“The state of Louisiana — Republicans and Democrats alike — made it plain,” Jeffries said from behind a podium at CrescentCare, a community health clinic in New Orleans that serves thousands of low-income and uninsured residents. “These cuts will be devastating.”
Jeffries had previously referenced Senate Concurrent Resolution 32 (SCR 32), which passed unanimously at the end of this year’s legislative session, during his record-setting eight-hour speech on the House floor as Congress debated H.R. 1, dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” by President Donald Trump.
Authored by Republican State Sen. Patrick McMath, SCR 32 described Medicaid as a “critical safety net” for over 1.6 million Louisianans, including children, seniors, people with disabilities, and the working poor.
“Don’t take our word for it, take the word of the Louisiana state legislature,” Jeffries said on the House floor July 3.
But just like SCR 32, Jeffries’ marathon speech did not stop the passage of the Republican-backed tax and spending bill that includes more than $1 trillion in health care cuts. It was signed into law July 4.
Jeffries returned to that message while in New Orleans, joined by Rep. Troy Carter and fellow House Democrats Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Robin Kelly, and Nanette Barragán. Together, they condemned what they repeatedly called the “Big Ugly Bill.”
Jeffries called the law “the largest assault on Medicaid and health care in American history,” and warned that communities will be “devastated” by its effects.
The impacts of the new law will be immediate and far-reaching in a state like Louisiana, where nearly one in three residents rely on Medicaid for coverage. The cuts will ripple through hospitals, clinics and nursing homes, threatening services and access across the board — particularly in rural areas where care is already limited.
Carter, who represents much of the New Orleans metro area, was blunt: “More hospital closures. Longer wait times. Worse outcomes. And for what? So Republicans can deliver massive tax breaks to the richest Americans, on the backs of working families.”
The fight over Medicaid, Jeffries said, is just beginning. And his colleagues agree.
“They may have won the battle,” Carter said, “but they will not win the war.”
@moreperfectunion "He needs to come down on our level and live like we do. He wouldn't survive, I'm afraid." GOP Speaker Johnson’s constituents are putting him on blast for gutting Medicaid. 16 million people would be kicked off their health insurance as a result of the House budget bill, in order to fund tax breaks for the rich. @drewhawkinsreports #workersrights #corporategreed #medicaid ♬ original sound - More Perfect Union
While the state is deeply conservative, its political leaders unanimously supported SCR 32 — warning that slashing Medicaid would destabilize hospitals, increase uncompensated care and drive up health costs across the board.
Jeffries praised the state’s Republican and Democratic lawmakers for recognizing the stakes and approving the resolution. But the resolution carries no legal force. The same state lawmakers who supported the resolution will be responsible for implementing the very cuts they sought to avoid. Roughly 210,000 Louisianans could lose coverage.
The event marked the second stop on a national tour by House Democratic leadership aimed at galvanizing public opposition to the law and elevating health care as a defining issue ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
CrescentCare symbolizes what’s at stake. Born out of the HIV epidemic in the 1980s, the clinic has grown into a cornerstone of community health in New Orleans, offering primary care, pediatrics, behavioral health and support services.
As a federally qualified health center, it exists to serve those who often fall through the cracks — and many of its patients rely on Medicaid to access care.
CrescentCare CEO Alice Riener said her team is already preparing for painful cuts.
“We will be asked to do more with less and our patients… many of them will lose health care coverage,” Riener said. “And what that means is that people delay accessing care, they won't be able to access their medications, and then they will go to emergency rooms, which is a very expensive way of accessing care.”
The threat goes beyond CrescentCare. Riener warned that 33 health centers across Louisiana could shut their doors as a result of the cuts, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
“Without Medicaid, without coverage, without access to hospitals, community health centers, people will not be able to get the care that they need,” Riener said. “They will not access the preventative primary health care, mental health care services that they need. We will see health outcomes worsen and we will see more people die.”
This story was produced by the Gulf States Newsroom, a collaboration between Mississippi Public Broadcasting, WBHM in Alabama, WWNO and WRKF in Louisiana and NPR. Support for public health coverage comes from The Commonwealth Fund.
