May 22, 2025


“The Trump administration has essentially declared war on science”


(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)  — Today, 314 Action held a virtual press conference vowing to make the 2026 midterms a referendum on Republicans’ plan to gut health care for millions following today’s vote on the budget in the House. Congressional Republicans approved the largest cuts to Medicare and Medicaid by a one-vote margin.

Shaughnessy Naughton, President of 314 Action, was joined by Governor Josh Green (HI), Senator John Hickenlooper (CO), the former Chief Medical Officer of the U.S. Medicaid Program during Trump’s first term Dr. Andrey Ostrovsky, and health care leaders.

Shaughnessy Naughton, President of 314 Action
“We are turning 2026 into a referendum on what happened today, and we know exactly who’s responsible. At 314 Action, we’ve identified 28 House Republicans who voted to rip away health care from working families and we’re going after every single one of them, because this isn’t just politics. This is personal.”

Governor Dr. Josh Green (HI)
“Certainly much of America, those rural hospitals, are going to be deprived of oxygen, finances. They are not going to be able to stay open if these public health cuts go forward. We are going to see outbreaks of preventable disease. We’re going to see extra cost, and frankly, it’s really, it’s really a terrible moment in history if we allow this Congress and this administration to cut so deeply.”

U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper (CO)
“The Trump administration has essentially declared war on science. They’re targeting the funding for life saving medical research…They’ve drastically without any plan, without any rhyme or reason, they’ve given science in America a sucker punch in the gut.”

Dr. Kristin Lyerly, Board Chair for The Committee to Protect Health Care and Wisconsin-based OB-GY
“Since 2005, more than 150 rural hospitals have closed, and currently—and this is a big number—nearly 750 rural hospitals across the country are at risk of closing in the near future. That’s nearly half of all rural hospitals. Most of these rural hospitals are already operating at a deficit. If I’m being completely honest, I don’t know how our rural hospitals will weather this storm, or what will happen to the people who live in those communities.”

Minnesota State Senator Matt Klein
“I know that $500 billion in cuts to Medicare and $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid impacts the health of every single American. Medicaid is the difference between life and death for my patients and for millions of Americans, it’s care for our patients in nursing facilities. It’s how rural hospitals keep the doors open and the lights on.”

Dr. Andrey Ostrovsky MD, former chief medical officer of the U.S. Medicaid program
“A lot of people that are not directly on Medicaid right now don’t appreciate how impactful Medicaid is on their lives, even if you have never been touched by Medicaid directly. Medicaid ends up making up about a third of every state’s budget. If even 10% of that goes away, that is then a compromise between funding Medicaid or schools or roads or other infrastructure.”

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