Washington, DC – Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, a member of the House Budget Committee and senior member of the House Committees on Judiciary and Homeland Security and Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations, and a member of the House Budget Committee released the following statement:

“On August 1, 2017, I wrote Governor Abbott to urge him to reconsider the decision not to expand Texas’ Medicaid program and explained in detail the benefits that would flow to Texans from an expanded Medicaid program. I, and the citizens of Texas, are still awaiting his response.

“On July 28, 2017, the U.S. Senate decisively rejected the last best chance of congressional Republicans and the Trump Administration to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Notwithstanding Republican control of both houses of Congress and the White House, their seven year campaign to repeal the Affordable Care Act, i.e., Obamacare,” ended in a stunning defeat. The American people now strongly approve of the Affordable Care Act and opposed by overwhelming margins the legislation proposed by Senate Republicans to be substituted in its place.

“Currently, 17.7% of adult Texans lack health care coverage, a figure that remains the highest in the nation. The economic activity resulting from the infusion of federal funds received for expanding the Texas Medicaid program to include low-income adults will boost the economic output of Texas by $67.9 billion, add $2.5 billion to local revenues, reduce Texas’ uninsured rate by more than 25 percent, provide insurance for an additional two million persons, and save the lives of an estimated 5,700 adults and 2,700 children every year.

“It is fiscally irresponsible and morally indefensible for Texas not to join the other 31 states that have expanded their Medicaid programs. Every day that Texas delays expanding the Medicaid program costs Texans jobs, hurts Texas businesses, unduly burdens local governments, and needlessly places the health and safety of millions of Texas children and adults at risk.

“It is beyond time the Governor reconsider his opposition, protect the people he serves and accept this deal of the century. Millions of Texans, whose lives will be significantly improved by Medicaid expansion, are impatiently waiting for his response.”