‘Where’s the help?’: ‘Gee and Ursula’ call out Trump admin. healthcare cuts to Washington

The Trump administration is cutting $160 million in healthcare funding to the Washington Department of Health, with the Health Care Authority losing an additional $34 million in funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

With this funding going away, state officials worry that it may make it harder for people to get proper treatment, but the “Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio wonders if the state’s even be able to provide reasonable care to begin with.

“We are woefully inadequate when it comes to services provided to people,” co-host Ursula Reutin said. “Who can provide those services, what’s available?”

Gee Scott agreed, bringing up how often mental health and drug abuse have been a topic of conversation since “the war on drugs:”

“Was it really about drugs or people? Because at the end of it all, Ursula, we kept saying, where’s the help? Is it only for people who have means?” Gee Scott said.

Gee adds that “we can all agree we need more” help, and that right now might not be a time to cut funding.

‘Here’s the rub…’

The money given to state public health programs was originally in response to COVID-19 relief bills, and  The New York Times reports that the Department of Health and Human Services is cutting the money, intending to “no longer waste billions of taxpayer dollars responding to a nonexistent pandemic that Americans moved on from years ago.”

“The growing national debt is a real issue, but here’s the rub,” said Ursula, “They’re talking about spending cuts, but they’re also talking about expanding the first term Trump cuts… so you’re talking about making sweeping cuts in programs that help middle and low income families to pay for permanent tax breaks that benefit corporations and high income earners, and in my opinion that is a bunch of BS.”

The Seattle Times reports that these funding cuts could impact the work of more than 200 full-time state health department employees.