In case you missed it, as Senate Republicans begin consideration of their harmful budget bill, U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) highlighted the impact that Republicans’ proposed cuts to Medicaid would have on Delawareans. She recently delivered remarks on the Senate floor urging her Republican colleagues to protect and defend Medicaid.
Over the last several weeks, Blunt Rochester has empowered her constituents to share their stories through her “Share Your Story” portal which has received submissions from over 250 Delawareans so far. She has made it a priority to uplift and shine a light on those brave and compelling stories.
Read more about what gutting Medicaid would mean for Delawareans below or in the respective outlets.
Author: Joseph Edelen
May 30, 2025
[…] While speaking on her chamber’s floor May 22, Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., denounced the measure, noting that, “instead of alleviating distress, this big, bad bill would actually exacerbate it.”
In addition, earlier this month, she launched a “Share Your Story” portal, urging Delawareans to tell how they have been impacted by the Trump administration’s policies.
Over 200 have done so thus far, she said, and the senator evoked some of those scenarios on the Senate floor.
“Emmanuel lives in Sussex County. When I met with him recently, he told me that, if we pull the thread of Medicaid, his whole life will unravel. Emmanuel calls himself a ‘CP Warrior,’ and he doesn’t let cerebral palsy, or his wheelchair, stop him,” she shared.
“For Emmanuel, Medicaid is more than prescriptions and doctors’ appointments; it is about freedom and independence. Participating in Medicaid allowed him to get and keep a job. Access to Medicaid is how he went from being homeless to being employed (and) housed and financially secured.”
Also on May 22, Sen. Blunt Rochester spoke with members of the Delaware media about the budget reconciliation bill and its consequences, as well as her office’s portal.
Of the responses the senator has received, most regard the potential slashing of Medicaid, which serves nearly 270,250 Delawareans, or 19% of the population.
But worries also include other Trump policies, Sen. Blunt Rochester said, such as the impact of tariffs on small businesses, the reduction in the federal workforce, the future of Social Security and Medicare, and cuts to research funding.
“The focus really needs to be thinking about the fact that Medicaid allows people to go to work,” she said. “It allows people to have the support they need if they are a person with a disability. It allows family members to stay employed because there may be home- and community-based services that are offered to them and their families.
“I think this idea of saying there should be work requirements is just another way that our Republican colleagues want to cut people off of Medicaid and save money so that the money can be used for these tax breaks for really wealthy people.”
As the Senate prepares to consider the Big Beautiful Bill, it is unclear if it has the votes to clear the chamber as written, due to several GOP senators’ concerns.
Last week, the proposal passed the House of Representatives, 215-214. In the Senate — where the GOP holds a 53-45 advantage over Democrats, with two independents — Republicans need 51 votes.
With those numbers in mind, Sen. Blunt Rochester noted that Republican colleagues like Josh Hawley of Missouri and Susan Collins of Maine have said that, due to the proposed Medicaid cuts, they would not support the bill as it stands.
Earlier this month, Sen. Hawley wrote in an op-ed that cutting vital health programs to pay for tax breaks would be “morally wrong and politically suicidal,” according to The Associated Press.
Sen. Blunt Rochester agreed.
“I’m hoping that the voices of the people … will be those things that will persuade my Republican colleagues that this is the wrong direction to go, particularly at a time when people are struggling, and they don’t need it to be harder to get health care or to be able to afford everyday life,” she said.
“We’ve got to work to make sure that these horrible cuts don’t go into effect.” […]
Author: Sarah Petrowich
May 28, 2025
President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” passed the U.S. House by just one vote and is now being mulled over by the U.S. Senate, where Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester is urging her Republican colleagues to reconsider some of the proposed federal funding cuts.
[…] Roughly one in four Delawareans rely on Medicaid for healthcare coverage, and Sen. Blunt Rochester says these proposed changes could be devastating for program participants in the First State.
The senator has a launched a “Share Your Story” portal, which has received over 200 responses from Delawareans concerned about how proposal from the Trump administration could set them and their families back.
“I’m hoping that the voices of the people, the stories of the people, will be those things that will persuade my Republican colleagues that this is the wrong direction to go, particularly at a time when people are struggling and they don’t need it to be harder to get healthcare or to be able to afford everyday life, they need us to do what is in their best interest,” Sen. Blunt Rochester said. “So do I have hope? I always maintain hope, but I believe it’s the same thing with faith. Faith without works is dead. So we got to work to make sure that these horrible cuts don’t go into effect.”
Sen. Blunt Rochester relayed some of these stories on the Senate floor in an effort to sway Republican colleagues to reject Medicaid program changes and cuts.
Republicans are pushing to pass the bill by July 4, but the caucus can’t afford to lose more than three votes on the bill assuming no Democrats support it.
Sen. Blunt Rochester is particularly passionate about disproving the narrative that the majority of Medicaid enrollees don’t work.
“In Delaware, about 63% of adults that are on Medicaid are already working. Many of them are working two and three jobs. As a matter of fact, one of the stories I highlighted during my floor speech was Emanuel, who actually can work because of Medicaid. He has cerebral palsy, he is wheelchair user, but he doesn’t let that stop him, and he has said that the ability for him to have the supports of Medicaid allow him to go to work to support his family,” Sen. Blunt Rochester said. “So the first thing I would say is that we need to bust the myth that people on Medicaid are not working. They are working. We need to also think about when work requirements are added, whether it is for SNAP benefits or whether it is for Medicaid, a lot of times it is really to put these kind of onerous rules on it is so that, basically, people fall off the system. And that’s how they save money, because people fall off the system.”
The senator believes these government assistance programs should not be sacrificed to cover the cost of the president’s proposed tax cuts.
“I think this idea of saying there should be work requirements is just another way that our Republican colleagues want to cut people off of Medicaid and save money so that the money can be used for these tax breaks for really wealthy people.”
Delaware is close to a month out from finalizing its fiscal year 2026 state budget, and Gov. Matt Meyer is proposing the creation of a federal contingency fund of $21.9 million to offset potential federal funding reductions.
Sen. Blunt Rochester says she is working with Delaware state officials on contingency plans in case the ‘big, beautiful bill’ passes, but she plans to continue pressing her GOP colleagues.
“We’re working with the [Meyer] administration to look at scenarios and to see how we can best mitigate the impact, but my main focus is to stop these cuts from going into effect in the first place, so that we don’t have to go into contingencies,” she said. […]
WDEL: Fighting Medicaid cuts – one story at a time
Author: Mark Fowser
May 23, 2025
What the Trump Administration calls a “big, beautiful bill” is actually “morally bankrupt,” according to U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester.
Her main concern: dramatic cuts to a program that’s vital for thousands of Delawareans
Medicaid covers about one in six adults in The First State, about three of every eight children, and a significant number of nursing home residents and people who work but have disabilities.
Blunt Rochester spoke on the Senate Floor Thursday afternoon about stories she has collected from Delawareans about the effects of cuts to Medicaid and other programs.
“These are real people with real needs that Medicaid fills,” Blunt Rochester said.
In praising the bill, The White House said the intent was to make sure Medicaid was going to Americans who need it and not to undocumented immigrants – and that people should be working in order to receive benefits. Friday, Blunt Rochester said more than 60% of adults who are on Medicaid are already working – “many of them are working two or three jobs.”
Blunt Rochester also said Friday that the federal delegation has been working on the state level as well.
“We’re working with the administration to look at scenarios and to see how we can best mitigate impact, but my main focus is to stop these cuts from going into effect in the first place, so that we don’t have to go into contingencies,” Blunt Rochester said.
According to Blunt Rochester, her “share your story” portal has drawn submissions from nearly 200 Delawareans – and they are what motivate her to keep up the fight.
“They help to inspire me to do this work.”
Author: Olivia Montes
May 23, 2025
[…] Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester called taking away needed health care from eligible residents – including children, families and people with disabilities – not only “negligent” but also “morally bankrupt,” according to a statement issued May 22.
Despite this, Blunt Rochester remains hopeful that the voices and real-life experiences of the people will persuade her GOP colleagues that “this is the wrong direction to go.” […]
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Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester represents Delaware in the United States Senate where she serves on the Committees on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Environment and Public Works; and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.