FARGO/EDGELY - In the middle of the night tonight, Congressional Republicans will take the next steps to pass a budget that includes the largest cuts to health care and food assistance in American history to offset the cost of tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy. Rural areas are set to be hit the hardest by these cuts.

North Dakota Democratic-NPL Chair Adam Goldwyn said, “It’s outrageous that Fedorchak supports this bill. While she’s giving a giant handout to out-of-state billionaires, Fedorchak wants to force working-class families through even more hoops to get health insurance. House Republicans are ramming this bill through in the middle of the night because they know how shameful it is to take food away from hungry children and rip healthcare away from millions of Americans. Democratic-NPLers will always keep fighting to expand access to healthcare.”

District 28 Democratic-NPL Co-Chair Mary Schlosser remarked, “I’m deeply concerned about how this budget would affect the working poor and North Dakotans with disabilities. One in every two nursing home residents in North Dakota uses Medicaid to pay for care in a nursing home. How are we going to keep our rural hospitals open, and how do we keep those communities alive if they shutter? Will we as a state be able to fill in the gaps in coverage? Reducing access to SNAP and other food security programs not only takes food off North Dakotans’ tables, but further reduces markets for its agriculture producers – farmers, ranchers, and dairy producers. I don’t think we should be paying for tax cuts to the ultra-wealthy on the backs of working families.”