MORE THAN 12,300 PEOPLE JOIN CONGRESSMAN PAT RYAN’S TELEPHONE TOWN HALL ON PRESIDENT TRUMP’S “BIG UGLY BETRAYAL” THAT DRIVES UP COSTS, RIPS HEALTHCARE FROM HUDSON VALLEY SENIORS, KIDS, AND VETERANS

More Than 12,300 People Join Congressman Pat Ryan’s Telephone Town Hall on President Trump’s “Big Ugly Betrayal” That Drives Up Costs, Rips Healthcare From Hudson Valley Seniors, Kids, and Veterans

Monday night, Congressman Ryan hosted a Telephone Town Hall following passage of Republican bill that drives up food and health care costs for Hudson Valley families and closes local hospitals and health clinics

More than 12,300 Hudson Valley community members joined to raise concerns about how the bill will impact their lives and the programs they rely on – including Medicaid and SNAP

Ryan called the bill a “Big Ugly Betrayal” of his constituents and the American people; in addition cutting over a trillion dollars from essential programs, the bill also adds over $4 trillion to the debt to fund Trump’s unprecedented tax breaks for billionaires 

WASHINGTON, DC  –  Monday night, Congressman Pat Ryan hosted a Telephone Town Hall to address community concerns following passage of the MAGA Republican bill that drives up costs for Hudson Valley families, rips away health care from seniors, kids, and veterans, and closes local hospitals and health clinics. 

More than 12,300 people joined the town hall to raise concerns about how the massive cuts to essential programs – including Medicaid and SNAP – will impact their lives, their families and their neighbors. Ryan called the bill, which passed without a single Democratic vote, a “Big Ugly Betrayal” of his constituents and the American people. In addition to devastating cuts of over a trillion dollars from essential programs that Hudson Valley families rely on, the bill also adds over $4 trillion to the national debt to fund Trump’s unprecedented tax breaks for billionaires. 

“On Monday, more than 12,000 members of our community joined my Town Hall. I heard from small business owners already struggling to make ends meet, from farmers, from seniors, from disabled veterans and from thousands of folks worried about their Medicaid. They’re rightfully outraged – the Hudson Valley deserves better than Trump’s ‘Big, Ugly Betrayal’ hurting our community,” said Congressman Pat Ryan. “The voices of our community matter so much, especially as this incredibly harmful bill becomes law. Every step of the way, I promise to listen to you, work with our entire community, and fight like hell to build the more affordable, safe, and free Hudson Valley each and every one of us deserves. I will always fight for you, and against anyone who would do you harm.”

Congressman Ryan’s Telephone Town Hall had more than 12,300 participants; people raised concerns about benefits for themselves and their families, threats to veterans services, and, above all else, the unprecedented cuts to their health care. 

Lynn, a senior citizen and farmer from Millerton said “I barely break even with my farm business and it’s getting much harder because of supply chain issues… I am now told [that] every six months [you’ll have] to prove that you qualify for Medicaid if you are a small business owner as I am. You’re going to have to provide substantial proof that you are indeed working the 80 hours a week you work, even though you don’t pay yourself a salary. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to meet that burden… ​​these checks of eligibility for these programs that are so necessary.” 

Faye, a disabled Army veteran from Newburgh asked “How [will Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill] impact the veterans and the services we receive in the Hudson Valley?” She is also concerned about her mother, a disabled senior citizen in assisted living who relies on Medicaid and other programs for her care. 

“I am a social worker who works in community mental health and I am concerned about how my job may be impacted by the Medicaid cuts,” said Chrissy. “I am also a mom of a young adult with special needs who has Medicaid.” 

Ryan called the bill, which passed without a single Democratic vote, a “Big Ugly Betrayal” of his constituents and the American people:

• Nearly one in three people in the Hudson Valley – including 75,000 kids – could lose their health insurance. 
• A 60 year old couple in the Hudson Valley earning $80,000 a year who gets coverage through the ACA will see a $940 increase in their annual premium – an 162% increase from last year. 
• The single mother who earns $20,000 a year in the Hudson Valley will lose over $1,500, while someone earning over $1 million a year will see their taxes go down by $79,000 in 2027.
• The bill threatens to close more than 300 rural hospitals nationwide, including Bons Secours in Port Jervis, and place great strain on countless more. Garnet Health in Middletown has already been forced to cut staff and services. 
• The head of the country’s biggest construction union, Sean McGarvey, described it as “the biggest job-killing bill in the history of this country.” It threatens an estimated 1.75 million construction jobs and over 3 billion work hours, which translates to $148 billion in lost annual wages and benefits.

And, despite cutting over a trillion dollars from essential programs that Hudson Valley families rely on – including Medicaid and SNAP – the bill still adds over $4 trillion to the national debt to fund Trump’s unprecedented tax breaks for billionaires.

Congressman Ryan has consistently elevated the importance of constituent services and being accessible to members of the Hudson Valley community. In addition to multiple events across the district each week with the C.A.R.E.S. Van – Ryan’s mobile office – he has also hosted multiple town halls this year alone, with thousands of community members in attendance. The Telephone Town Hall is designed to reach the broadest audience and most community members possible, especially given the scope and impacts of Trump’s bill. Congressman Ryan’s February Telephone Town Hall had 22,000 participants.

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