“House Speaker McCarthy and congressional Republicans are playing a dangerous game. They are threatening to default on the nation’s obligations in an attempt to force through an unpopular agenda. The American people will remain in the dark until Republicans release their budget, but what we know from the past is that health care will be on the chopping block in favor of tax cuts for the wealthy and large corporations.

“Over 40,000 New Mexicans currently have health coverage from the ACA and roughly 882,00 from Medicaid. The last thing they need to worry about is potentially losing their health insurance.

“Democrats passed the Inflation Reduction Act last year to bring down costs for families and reduce the deficit by almost $240 billion. Not a single Republican voted in support of the bill. Now Republicans want to use the debt ceiling to force irresponsible cuts to the ACA and Medicaid and jeopardize vital programs like Social Security and Medicare. The costs to the American people could not be higher.

“Republicans have created a default crisis that will undermine confidence in America’s commitment to pay its bills and drive up costs for American families. The debt ceiling is not a bargaining chip. Congress must act to cover existing obligations before the steep costs to the American people worsen.”