Executive Order aims to protect Virginia Medicaid and SNAP coverage, Spanberger says
Virginia Gov. Spanberger signs executive order to protect Medicaid and SNAP
Virginia Gov. Spanberger signed an executive order aimed at protecting Medicaid and SNAP.
RICHMOND, Va. - Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger signed Executive Order 20 on Tuesday, which aims to protect healthcare coverage and food assistance for eligible Virginia residents.
What we know:
The action comes in response to recent federal tax and spending cuts and follows the passage of "The Big Beautiful Bill" (H.R. 1), which includes changes to Medicaid and rules for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Spanberger says rising costs and "chaos coming out of Washington" are squeezing families, and she argues that recent federal cuts to healthcare and food assistance are worsening the strain. She warned that the federal cuts could cost Virginia up to $2.6 billion per year.
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State officials estimate the federal policy changes put more than 300,000 Medicaid recipients and 7,000 SNAP recipients in Virginia at risk of losing their coverage or food assistance. Officials also noted that 13 hospitals across the state are at risk of closing due to the financial shortfall.
More than 1.8 million Virginians are enrolled in Medicaid and nearly 800,000 receive SNAP benefits, and Gov. Spanberger acknowledged that the state cannot fully make up for the lost federal funds.
"The reality is that Virginia will not be able to make up the difference in a loss of federal funds," Spanberger said. "We will not be able to close the entirety of the gap caused by this catastrophic legislation; we’re working to mitigate every possible harm."
Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources Marvin Figueroa added that reductions in services are inevitable, saying, "In some communities, they’ll be the ability to stabilize people, or they’ll have to move somewhere else."
Executive Order 20 directs state agencies to determine how much of the federal reductions the state can absorb, improve statewide coordination, promote economic mobility and prioritize affordability. Gov. Spanberger also ordered the state to spend $150 million to offset rising premiums for affected residents.
Dig deeper:
Virginia is also joining several other Democratic-led states in a lawsuit challenging the federal cuts.
In defense of the federal legislation, Virginia Republican Congressman Rob Wittman told FOX 5 that he voted for the bill to ensure "benefits go to those who are eligible, reducing waste, fraud, and abuse, and establishing community engagement requirements for able-bodied adults who are able to work."
Conservative groups and federal leaders have pointed to the rising costs of federal entitlement programs.
Rachel Sheffield of the Heritage Foundation noted that annual spending on these programs has reached $1.7 trillion.
President Donald Trump previously addressed the scope of federal programs in April, stating, "It’s not possible for us to take care of daycare, Medicaid, Medicare all these individual things! They can do it on a state basis you can't do it on federal."
The policy debate comes 70 days ahead of the midterm elections. A Families USA poll conducted this month found that 47% of voters ranked healthcare as a top issue for the government to address.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the Associated Press and Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger.