Republican Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks was confronted Tuesday on Capitol Hill about her vote to slash over $700 billion from Medicaid. Instead of answering, she fled from a reporter who accused her of lying to her constituents.
Alex Lawson, executive director of the group Social Security Works, followed Miller-Meeks down a hallway after she exited a committee meeting. He pressed her on the consequences of her vote, which could strip healthcare from tens of thousands of her constituents in Iowa’s 1st District.
“Rep. Miller-Meeks, I’m wondering if you have any comment on the healthcare that 67,000 people in your district are going to lose?” Lawson asked.
Miller-Meeks, who serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, voted to advance a Republican bill packed with healthcare cuts, including deep slashes to Medicaid and food assistance programs. The committee’s move is part of a broader GOP push to make room for tax cuts that would add $3.8 trillion to the national deficit.
As the congresswoman stepped toward an elevator reserved for lawmakers, Lawson kept asking questions. “You previously lied to us and said you wouldn’t support Medicaid cuts,” he said. “But then you actually voted for the largest cuts to Medicaid in the history of the country. Do you have any comment on that? Do you have any comment on the four hospitals in your district that are going to close because of your vote?”
Miller-Meeks didn’t stop. She offered no response, even as Lawson raised the political stakes.
“Does it concern you that you only won by 800 votes?” he asked.
The elevator doors closed. She was gone.
Miller-Meeks, a physician, won reelection in 2024 by fewer than 1,000 votes. Her narrow victory and her vote for historic healthcare cuts have made her a top target for advocates fighting to protect Medicaid.
Social Security Works is organizing a “Hands Off Medicaid” rally this week in Jasper County, urging Iowans to demand answers. The group says Miller-Meeks is choosing tax breaks for the rich over the healthcare of her own constituents—more than 102,000 of whom rely on Medicaid or SNAP to survive.
On social media, Iowa advocate Mathew Helman put it bluntly: “If you ran for Congress honestly on your actual platform of slashing Medicaid and closing Iowa hospitals, how do you think you’d do?”
Watch the clip below:
Alex Lawson to @RepMMM: Last time you spoke with us you lied to our face and said you wouldn’t vote for Medicaid cuts, but you’ve voted for the largest cuts in history.
Do you have any comment on the health care 67,000 people in your district are going to lose? pic.twitter.com/51TM8ith5V
— Social Security Works (@SSWorks) May 20, 2025
