Bronx, NY — The Bronx leads the country in Medicaid enrollees, and will experience the effects of the upcoming austerity cuts especially acutely. Andre Easton, Bronx teacher, father, and socialist candidate running for New York's 15th Congressional District, has issued the following statement:

“New York's 15th Congressional District has 510,000 Medicaid enrollees, more than any other congressional district in the country. That's 71% of our district's residents. Starting in January, Trump's Medicaid cuts are coming for our neighbors.

“Starting in January, new Medicaid requirements will kick in as a result of Trump’s so-called Big Beautiful Bill. With costs skyrocketing and wages falling behind, Bronx families are already struggling to make ends meet. Now the Trump administration is slashing the social programs that keep us afloat.

“Nationwide, 17 million people could lose health insurance as a result of the Trump administration's sweeping cuts. Urban Health Plan estimates that 20,000 to 30,000 Bronx residents could lose coverage.

“Our congressman, Ritchie Torres, is unwilling and unable to fight for our health care. Torres is backed by some of the same billionaires and super PACs that support Trump. How can he claim to be fighting Trump's Medicaid cuts when Trump's billionaires are bankrolling his campaign?

“But Torres is the symptom, not the disease. The entire Democratic Party establishment has failed to fight for the healthcare system Bronx residents deserve. I'm fighting for single-payer healthcare for all. You shouldn't be at the mercy of your boss for coverage. Healthcare should be guaranteed as a right.

“Nearly 40% of Bronx residents live with at least one chronic illness, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or asthma. The medical bills needed to treat those conditions are pushing working families further into debt. In the Bronx, we are already rent-burdened and wage-squeezed. Medical debt turns this everyday struggle into a crisis.

“Meanwhile, our money is lining the pockets of insurance executives and Wall Street investors instead of funding neighborhood clinics and hospitals. Single-payer healthcare would put those resources where they belong: into frontline care in communities like the Bronx.

“We've spent billions on an illegal war against Iran, and both establishment parties keep voting to send billions more in foreign aid to Israel every year. We live in the richest country in the history of the world. We have more than enough to guarantee free healthcare for all. What we lack isn't money. It's the political power to direct it towards our needs. It's time to take that power for ourselves. Join the fight: http://andreforthebronx.nyc/volunteer