Congressional Morality Is at an All-Time Low

It is clear that a significant number of those elected to represent us in Congress have never experienced poverty or needed life-saving health care they couldn’t afford without insurance.

As a Christian, it’s also become clear to me that many of the congressional representatives who invoke their devotion to Jesus Christ when discussing issues like abortion or marriage equality conveniently check their “Christian card” at the door when it comes to the actual teachings of Christ — especially the commandments to “love your neighbor as yourself” and “care for the sick among you.”

The cuts being proposed to health care programs that serve the poor, working-class, chronically ill, and disabled fly in the face of both Christian teachings and the will of the American people. Yet many members of Congress who identify as Christian are choosing to serve a different god — pushing forward the “Big, Bogus Bill” in allegiance to Trump’s agenda rather than to the values of their faith.

Some proposals would strip coverage from people who are unable to find employment — even though being healthy is essential to searching, interviewing, obtaining, and keeping a job. While cutting Medicaid may sound like a cost-saving measure, in truth, the long-term consequences will cost all of us far more.

People unable to afford insulin will remain unemployed or underemployed, and taxpayers will foot the bill for their preventable emergency room visits. A simple tooth infection that could be treated with a basic dental visit may escalate into life-threatening sepsis, treated in an ER. Medicaid exists because it serves everyone — not just the patient in need, but the broader public who depend on accessible hospitals and emergency services. Have these elected officials already forgotten the strain on emergency rooms during the COVID-19 pandemic? Removing 20 million people from health insurance will dwarf those pressures and saddle taxpayers with billions in unpaid medical bills.

I’m grateful to have employer-sponsored health care. But as someone living with multiple chronic illnesses and disabilities that have no cure, I know I’m just one serious virus or brain injury away from needing publicly funded health care. The truth is, we all are. It’s easy to pretend we’re invincible — that God made us immune to illness — but no one expects their life to be upended by a health crisis. Medicaid helps ensure that an unexpected diagnosis doesn’t lead to homelessness or despair.

Recently, while attending the State of the People National Assembly in Baltimore, I met a man in his forties who survived cancer but lost everything due to the medical bills. Medicaid has historically failed to meet the needs of men in many states, especially if they are unable to work. Anyone who has cared for a loved one with cancer knows the toll of chemotherapy requires isolation and rest — not employment. Yet for men, Medicaid eligibility and unemployment benefits still depend heavily on geography. Applying for disability benefits often takes longer than a full round of chemo. If Congress truly wants to reform Medicaid, this is where it should start.

Unfortunately, it’s not just Congress that threatens access to health care. The U.S. Supreme Court has also tipped the scales away from those in need. Justices who profess belief in Jesus Christ recently ruled that patients can no longer sue their states when denied the right to choose their own health care provider, instead leaving it to the federal government to intervene. The same federal government that is simultaneously working to slash Medicaid funding to finance tax cuts for the wealthy.

While the decision technically applies only to South Carolina and Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, it sets a dangerous precedent. It opens the door for states to block patients — particularly people of color — from accessing culturally competent providers for conditions like sickle cell disease, which disproportionately affects Black communities. It also endangers access to essential reproductive health services like mammograms and pap smears, simply because a provider is politically disfavored.

In a time when transgender men and intersex people often have limited access to gynecological care, rulings like this could prevent them from receiving respectful, informed, and life-saving treatment. Decisions that deny patients the ability to choose trained, affirming providers are not just bureaucratic; they’re deadly.

If this nation wants to remain a democracy of and for the people, we must demand that our elected officials fight for the people, not pander to the fragile ego of the man currently occupying the White House. I pray that their crisis of faith ends soon. If not, our failure to care for one another as Christ commanded will lead us into moral bankruptcy and economic collapse.

Victoria Kirby York, MPA, is the Director of Public Policy and Programs at the National Black Justice Collective, where she leads transformative policy initiatives for Black Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer+/same-gender loving communities and spearheads signature programs, including the Black Institute and OUT on the Hill. A visionary organizer and movement architect who has trained advocates in nearly all of the most consequential progressive campaigns this century, she has commanded teams of thousands in high-stakes electoral battles and champions marginalized voices as essential catalysts for creating lasting social change.