STUNNING Announcement Blows Up Trump’s Budget Bill
In a shocking but sadly predictable turn of events, a rural medical clinic in Curtis, Nebraska — a town of just 900 people — is shutting down after 30 years of service. The reason? Anticipated Medicaid cuts from the Republican-backed budget bill, often referred to as Trump’s “big beautiful bill.” These cuts haven’t even taken effect yet, but the damage is already beginning.
Troy Brunt, CEO of Community Hospital, explained that the financial pressure caused by expected federal cuts to Medicaid made it impossible to keep the clinic running. He used the word “anticipated” — that’s key. The clinic is shutting down before the cuts even happen. That’s how obvious and damaging this bill is. Providers know what’s coming and are already bracing for the worst.
Republicans, of course, insist that Medicaid won’t be touched. They say the bill only targets “waste, fraud, and abuse.” Some claim it simply slows the growth of Medicaid or that it will actually strengthen the program. But the facts say otherwise.
According to multiple estimates, including from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, up to 17 million people could lose health insurance by 2034 under this bill. The American Hospital Association says these are the largest Medicaid cuts ever proposed — over $1 trillion. Rural hospitals would lose 21 cents of every Medicaid dollar, leading to the closure of over 300 hospitals just like the one in Curtis.
Let’s be clear: Republicans say they’re not cutting Medicaid. But hospitals are already closing. That’s not a “reform.” That’s a health care crisis.
Even leaders in rural areas are sounding the alarm. The CEO of Hood Memorial Hospital in Louisiana explained that Medicaid expansion saved their hospital back in 2016. Since then, no rural hospitals in Louisiana have shut down. But if the new Medicaid cuts go through, they’ll be forced to provide care with little or no reimbursement. That means no new services, no upgrades, and possibly no future for their hospital.
Researchers from the University of North Carolina found that many of the 300 hospitals most at risk are in Republican-led states like Kentucky, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. These aren’t “blue states” — these are areas that voted for the very politicians now slashing their health care lifelines.
Republicans included $50 billion in the bill to “help” rural hospitals. But compared to the $1 trillion in cuts, that’s like handing someone a garden hose after burning down their house. Even Republican Senators like Josh Hawley and Susan Collins admit that $50 billion isn’t nearly enough — and yet, they still voted for the bill.
The dishonesty doesn’t stop there. The White House claimed rural hospitals only make up 7% of Medicaid hospital spending, as if that makes them less important. But that 7% represents entire communities with no other health care options.
Some lawmakers tried to take credit for making the bill “less bad.” For example, Senator Lisa Murkowski pushed to raise the rural hospital fund from $25 to $50 billion. But as many critics have pointed out — you don’t get credit for slightly softening the disaster you helped create. If you vote to slash over a trillion dollars, you can’t act like a hero for clawing back a few crumbs.
Democratic leaders like Hakeem Jeffries and Jamie Raskin have been hammering this point. Many moderate Republicans claimed to be concerned, sent letters, and begged the Senate to make changes. But when it came time to vote, they still backed the bill — which passed by just one vote in the House.
Here’s the bottom line: Republicans are willing to let rural hospitals close and millions lose health care just so they can hand more tax breaks to billionaires. They know the damage this bill will cause. And they’re doing it anyway.
The closure of the Curtis clinic is just the beginning. More hospitals will shut down. More families will lose coverage. And every time it happens, remember: they had a choice — protect health care or protect tax cuts. They chose the tax cuts.