Adriano Espaillat: “tonight in the middle of the night and in darkness, away from the view of the American people, hidden in some committee…”

“tonight in the middle of the night and in darkness, away from the view of the American people, hidden in some committee room in the Capitol, the Rules Committee will meet. They are scheduled to meet at 1 a.m. in the morning when Americans are sleeping and when families are resting awaiting the next day. They are scheduled to meet to discuss at length Medicaid cuts. More than one-half of the residents in the district that I have the privilege to represent, the 13th Congressional District, encompassed by Harlem, east Harlem, Washington Heights, Inwood, and the northwest Bronx, more than one-half--close to 500,000 of my constituents--are Medicaid recipients. They receive primary and emergency healthcare. Almost 4 million residents in New York City, one-half of the city, rely on Medicaid. Mr. Speaker, this discussion that will be held in the middle of the night when most Americans will not be tuned in is a life-and-death discussion about cuts to perhaps the most important Federal program that impacts the daily health and life of people across the country, the Medicaid program.”