¶ President Trump And Speaker Johnson Both Endorsed Anthony Constantino For Congress, And Constantino Said He Would Answer To Trump In Congress
Donald Trump Endorsed Constantino For Congress. According to a Truth Social post from Donald Trump,
[Truth Social, @realDonaldTrump, 4/21/26]
Speaker Mike Johnson Endorsed Constantino For Congress, Calling Him An “America First Patriot” Who Will “Defend And Grow Our House Republican Majority.” According to a post from Mike Johnson on Twitter,
[Twitter, @MikeJohnson, 7/1/26]
Constantino Said In Congress He Would “Only Answer To” His Constituents, His Moral Compass And “To President Trump Who Earned Our Respect.” According to a post on Sticker Mule for Constantino for Congress, “Businesspeople find problems and fix them. Politicians should do the same. That’s how President Trump operates, and it’s why I support him. He identifies problems and acts decisively. Most career politicians, however, spend their time fundraising, attending dinners, taking photos, and enriching themselves. Career politicians are easily controlled because politics is their livelihood. They become beholden to donors and special interests. I’m self-funding my campaign so that no donor, lobbyist, or special interest will influence me. I will answer only to the people of New York’s 21st Congressional District, to President Trump who earned our respect, and to my own moral compass.” [Constantino for Congress, Sticker Mule 1/14/26]
¶ Trump And Johnson Were Responsible For Ripping Health Care Away From Americans
¶ July 2025: Trump And Johnson Worked Together To Pass The Final Version Of Republicans’ Reconciliation Bill That Was Estimated To Result In At Least 17 Million Americans Losing Their Health Insurance
7/3/25: Johnson And Trump Worked Together To Pass The “One Big Beautiful Bill.” According to Fox News, "House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., touted the close coordination between Congress and President Donald Trump to successfully pass the ‘one big, beautiful bill,’ saying the collaboration is part of the ‘beauty of unified government.’ Congress officially passed Trump’s multitrillion-dollar bill Thursday afternoon after back-to-back sleepless sessions for both the House and Senate. The massive agenda package now goes to Trump’s desk to be signed into law just in time for Republicans’ self-imposed Fourth of July deadline." [Fox News, 7/3/25]
Trump And Johnson Lobbied The Republican Holdouts To Make Way For Passage Of The Bill. According to NBC News, "A bloc of Republican holdouts had initially opposed a procedural vote Wednesday to advance the bill, leading to an hourslong overnight standoff. But Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., managed to sway all but one of them, teeing up final passage in the House." [NBC News, 7/3/25]
- HEADLINE: "At Least 17 Million Americans Would Lose Insurance Under Trump Plan" [Washington Post, 7/1/25]
- The Congressional Budget Office Estimated That 11.8 Million People Would Become Uninsured As A Result Of The Medicaid Cuts In Republicans’ Reconciliation Bill. According to the Washington Post, "The bill, which narrowly passed the Senate on Tuesday and now heads back to the House, would effectively accomplish what Republicans have long failed to do: unwind many of the key components of the ACA, President Barack Obama’s signature domestic achievement, which dramatically increased the number of Americans with access to health insurance. To start, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the Senate version of the bill would result in 11.8 million more uninsured in 2034, mostly because of Medicaid cuts, compared with 10.9 million if the House version became law." [Washington Post, 7/1/25]
¶ May 2025: Trump And Johnson Spearheaded The Effort To Pass Republicans’ Budget Bill, Which Would Kick Millions Of People Off Medicaid
May 2025: Johnson Reached Agreements With Conservative And Moderate Republicans With Help From Donald Trump Before Passing The Sweeping Budget Bill. According to the Guardian, "The biggest obstacle the bill faces is disputes among Republicans themselves. In the days leading up to the vote, Johnson had to reach agreements with lawmakers representing Democratic-led states who demanded a bigger deduction for state and local taxes (Salt). He also had to woo moderates wary of cutting too deeply into safety net programs and rightwing lawmakers demanding more cost savings. The speaker appears to have bridged those divides, aided by a visit to the Capitol from Trump on Tuesday. Moderates backed down after some cuts were nixed, while lawmakers who held out over Salt won an enlarged tax break. Johnson also managed to corral most fiscal conservatives, but acknowledged: ‘There was a few moments over the last week when it looked like the thing might fall apart.’" [Guardian, 5/22/25]
May 2025: The Passage Of The Budget Bill Was A “Triumphant Moment For Johnson,” Who Got The Bill Passed With A Singular Vote Margin. According to ABC News, "A smiling Speaker Mike Johnson announced the massive measure passed by a single vote -- 215-214 -- and was greeted with applause. He had struggled to get it done -- as he had promised -- by Memorial Day, before lawmakers go on recess. The sweeping package of tax cuts, Medicaid reform and immigration spending delivers on many of the president's domestic campaign promises. Following debate that stretched Wednesday through the entire night and into early Thursday morning, the vote was a triumphant moment for Johnson, who conquered sharp divisions among his conference ‘through a lot of prayer’ amid a historically low 3-vote majority." [ABC News, 5/22/25]
- The House GOP Budget Bill Was Estimated To Increase The Uninsured Population By 8.6 Million By 2034. According to CNN, “The Medicaid and Affordable Care Act provisions in the package could result in 8.6 million more people being uninsured in 2034, according to an early CBO estimate released by Democratic lawmakers. That number is expected to grow with the latest changes.” [CNN, 5/28/25]
- The House GOP Budget Bill Codified A Trump Administration Proposal That Restricted Access To The Affordable Care Act. According to CNN, “The bill also calls for codifying a Trump administration proposal that would make changes to the Affordable Care Act enrollment process, including shortening the open enrollment period and eliminating the ability of low-income Americans to sign up year-round.” [CNN, 5/28/25]
¶ February 2025: Johnson And Trump Pushed Forward A Budget Bill That Spelled Out Future Medicaid Cuts
Johnson “Fought On All Fronts” To Advance The Budget Bill That Passed “With A Push From President Donald Trump.” According to the Associated Press, "With a push from President Donald Trump, House Republicans sent a GOP budget blueprint to passage Tuesday, a step toward delivering his ‘big, beautiful bill’ with $4.5 trillion in tax breaks and $2 trillion in spending cuts despite a wall of opposition from Democrats and discomfort among Republicans. House Speaker Mike Johnson had almost no votes to spare in his bare-bones GOP majority and fought on all fronts — against Democrats, uneasy rank-and-file Republicans and skeptical GOP senators — to advance the party’s signature legislative package. Trump made calls to wayward GOP lawmakers and invited Republicans to the White House. The vote was 217-215, with a single Republican and all Democrats opposed, and the outcome was in jeopardy until the gavel." [Associated Press, 2/25/25]
- HEADLINE: “What Can House Republicans Cut Instead Of Medicaid? Not Much.” [New York Times, 2/25/25]
- HEADLINE: "House Republican Budget Takes Away Health Care, Food Aid To Pay For Expanded Tax Cuts For Wealthy" [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2/21/25]
- New York Times Reported The $880 Billion In Cuts Required By The Republican Budget Proposal Would Have To Come From Medicaid, Medicare, Or CHIP. According to the New York Times, "The budget resolution itself is silent on whether Congress cuts Medicaid, which provides health coverage to 72 million poor and disabled Americans. But it instructs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over the program, to cut spending by $880 billion over the next decade. If the committee can’t save at least that much, the entire effort could be imperiled because of the special process Congress is using to avoid a Senate filibuster. Ten other committees have their own instructions to follow, though none have been assigned with cutting nearly as much. It’s not so simple as finding the cuts elsewhere. The special process, known as budget reconciliation, means Republicans will have to find all $880 billion from within the Energy and Commerce Committee’s jurisdiction. That leaves them with fewer options than one might think. […] If Republicans want to avoid major cuts to Medicaid, the largest pot of available money is in the other big government health insurance program: Medicare. […] Even if the committee cuts everything that’s not health care to $0, it will still be more than $600 billion short. The committee could also save around $200 billion by eliminating the Children’s Health Insurance Program, but that option has not been raised by the budget committee or anyone in House leadership. […] Even if all of these cuts, revenues and rule cancellations from outside health care can pass muster, the committee will still be left with hundreds of billions of dollars to cut to hit its goal. Mathematically, the budget committee’s instructions mean the committee would need to make major cuts to either Medicare, Medicaid or both." [New York Times, 2/25/25]
¶ More Than 192,000 New Yorkers In The 21st Congressional District Relied On Medicaid Or CHIP For Health Insurance
192,200 New Yorkers In New York’s 21st Congressional District Were Enrolled In Medicaid Or CHIP.
[Center for American Progress, 3/11/25]
¶ Constantino Supported Stricter Eligibility Parameters For Medicaid, Which Would Result In Millions Of Americans Losing Coverage
Constantino Said He Supported Stricter Eligibility Parameters For Medicaid, Like The New Parameters Being Introduced That Could Result In More Than 38,000 Enrollees In New York’s 21st District Losing Their Coverage. According to North Country Now, “Candidates in New York State’s 21st Congressional District have very different views on the changes which impact a massive number of people across more than a dozen counties in the district. Across the district 215,000 of the 770,000 residents are enrolled in Medicaid. The Healthcare Coalition for the North Country estimates that 50,000 enrollees could be impacted by the changes, while Health Care for All New York Coalition estimates more than 38,000 enrollees could lose their insurance completely. Democrat Blake Gendebien supports rolling back federal Medicaid spending cuts and advocates for restoring Affordable Care Act premium subsidies for low-income families who have been hit by rising healthcare costs. Republican Anthony Constantino on the other hand says introducing stricter eligibility parameters preserves Medicaid resources for the most vulnerable populations that need them most.” [North Country Now, 8/23/26]
- Up To 10.1 Million People Could Lose Medicaid Coverage As A Result Of New Work Requirements And More Frequent Eligibility Checks. According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, “Between 4.9 and 10.1 million people could lose Medicaid coverage in 2028 as the result of new work requirements and more frequent eligibility checks.” [Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 3/25/26]
¶ April 2026: New York Hospitals Were At Risk Of Closure Due To The Medicaid Cuts In The One Big Beautiful Bill
¶ New York State Hospitals Were Expected To Lose An Estimated $8 Billion In Funding After Federal Cuts
Data From The Healthcare Association Of New York State (HANYS) Revealed New York Hospitals Would Lose An Estimated $8 Billion Once The Republican Budget Was Fully Implemented. According to LoHud, “Data from the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS) reveals half of all New York hospitals are already operating in the red and they will take an estimated $8 billion annual funding hit once the bill is fully implemented. ‘HANYS has grave concerns about the impacts of H.R. 1 on New York’s hospitals and the patients they serve,’ said Amy Nickson, the organization's senior vice president of state policy, referring to the GOP law. ‘HANYS continues to urge state and federal policymakers to do everything they can to mitigate these reductions and protect patient access to care,’ she added. Greater New York Hospital Association president Ken Raske backed that data Monday, saying the federal measure ‘will take about eight-and-a-half billion dollars out of the revenue stream of New York hospitals.’" [Lohud, 4/21/26]
¶ Republicans’ Cuts To Medicaid Were Estimated To Result In 34,000 Lost Hospital Jobs And An Additional 29,000 Lost Health-Related Jobs In New York State
LoHud: “State Officials And Hospital Trade Groups In New York Estimated The Bill Would Cost The State And Its Hospitals $13.5 Billion A Year In Lost Funding And Added Expenses And Would Lead To 34,000 Lost Hospital Jobs Statewide As Well As An Additional 29,000 Lost Health-Related Jobs.” According to LoHud, “State officials and hospital trade groups in New York estimated the bill would cost the state and its hospitals $13.5 billion a year in lost funding and added expenses and would lead to 34,000 lost hospital jobs statewide as well as an additional 29,000 lost health-related jobs.” [Lohud, 4/21/26]
¶ About 25% Of All New York State Hospitals Could Face Closure, Layoffs Or Reduced Services Due To Federal Cuts
About 25% Of All New York State Hospitals Could Face Closure, Layoffs Or Reduced Services Due To Medicaid Cuts Approved In Republicans’ “Big, Beautiful Bill.” According to LoHud, “About 25% of all New York hospitals could face closure, layoffs or reduced services due to Medicaid cuts approved by Republicans in Congress and the Trump administration, according to the consumer watchdog group Public Citizen. Nearly 450 hospitals nationwide, including 45 in New York, are considered "at risk" after more than $900 billion in federal Medicaid and CHIP funding is expected to be slashed over the next 10 years through President Donald Trump's so-called ‘big, beautiful bill,’ the group noted in a report.” [Lohud, 4/21/26]