NEW REPORT: Rural Georgia Faces Perfect Storm as Trump Slashes Health Care and Disaster Preparedness
Former CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure and Georgia Leaders Sound Alarm on Trump’s Threat to Rural Hospitals and Emergency Response
ATLANTA, GA – This week, Sabotaging Our Safety released a new report exposing how Donald Trump is putting Georgia’s rural communities at risk through a dangerous one-two punch: gutting disaster preparedness programs while simultaneously slashing health care funding, cutting coverage, and forcing hospitals to close their doors.
Today, Sabotaging Our Safety and Defend America Action held a press call with former Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, Georgia State Representative Bryce Berry, and Executive Director of the Georgia Conservation Voters Brionté McCorkle. Speakers outlined how Trump’s policies are creating a perfect storm of vulnerability in Georgia – closing the rural hospitals that serve as lifelines for communities while dismantling the disaster preparedness programs those same communities depend on when the next storm hits.
“As the former Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, I would often hear stories across the country about the impact of hospital closures on rural communities, from widespread job loss to families having to drive further during an emergency. I know that the millions of Georgians who receive care from rural hospitals know how important these hospitals are in the aftermath of hurricanes,” said former Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “For many, due to road closures and unsafe conditions, it has been rural hospitals that are a lifeline for Georgia’s rural communities, with many providing food and water during emergencies. No Georgian or American should have to drive for hours more for care or hope that the roads are clear to drive farther and farther to a hospital during an emergency. And yet, the policies enacted by Trump and Republicans in congress risk making this a reality for millions of Americans.”
“Donald Trump’s health care cuts have devastated rural hospitals and, at the same time, Trump has gutted FEMA, slashing staff, canceling disaster protection programs that our communities depend on, and imposing new red tape that delays search and rescue operations when Georgia families are still rebuilding after Hurricane Helene. Trump denied our state’s request for hurricane relief extension, abandoning our communities still struggling. This is not a coincidence. It’s a dangerous one-two punch to our state, cutting disaster preparedness and forcing our hospitals to close,” said Georgia State Representative Bryce Berry. “Now, this Republican shutdown will only make things worse. Hospitals already on the brink will be pushed closer to collapse and Georgians will pay the price. Millions of families will see drastic, unaffordable increases in their health insurance premiums, all while critical health care infrastructure crumbles around them.”
“Georgians are already facing stronger hurricanes, heavier floods, longer heat waves, and worsening health risks as a result. Instead of helping us prepare, Donald Trump has made Georgia weaker by slashing disaster preparedness programs, cutting FEMA staff, and gutting the health care that our rural communities rely on when disaster strikes, and his actions are really life or death for millions of Georgians,” said Executive Director of the Georgia Conservation Voters Brionté McCorkle. “Georgians deserve protection and not politics. We need a statewide and national plan that strengthens our hospitals, prepares us for stronger storms, and keeps our people safe.”
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