Rural Health Clinics Closing Because of Trump’s Budget Bill “Magnified” in Virginia Governor’s Race

Rural Health Clinics Closing Because of Trump's Budget Bill "Magnified" in Virginia Governor's Race

After cheering on Trump's health care cuts and lying about the devastating consequences, Winsome Sears has been silent

It's been over a week since a medical group announced it was closing three rural health care clinics in Virginia as a direct result of Donald Trump's disastrous budget bill, and pressure continues to mount on Winsome Sears, who has refused to comment.

Sears cheered on Trump's budget law, saying it "does so many great things." She also lied about the devastating consequences of Trump's health care cuts, saying that "there are no Virginians who are going to lose their Medicaid coverage in Virginia unless that's something that they choose."

Here's what Virginians are seeing about the Sears-backed budget bill closing health clinics across the state:

Cook Political Report: "The bill's impact has recently been magnified after a medical group announced the closing of three rural clinics due to the health care cuts."

The Virginia Independent: "Two months after President Donald Trump signed a budget reconciliation package into law that contained $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and other federal health programs, Virginia is already losing rural health care providers… Earle-Sears' campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this story. "

DGA External Affairs Director Ofirah Yheskel on SiriusXM's POTUS Mornings: "This is kind of the canary in the coal mine for Republicans who just passed this big, ugly bill that's ripping away health care from people, and it's already having impacts. And like you said, Augusta Health Group, which is a health care provider in a rural part of Virginia, has cited this bill specifically as the reason that they're going to have to close three of their clinics. And the Republican nominee for governor, Winsome Sears, has been silent on it. In the past, she's also said there's great things to see in this bill. I think that's kind of disqualifying. I think up to 200,000 people in the area depend on Augusta Health for their health care provider."

Virginia Mercury: "Earle-Sears agreed to an interview but canceled on the day of and has not responded to reschedule requests and other questions … Earle-Sears previously told Newsmax that the reconciliation 'bill does so many great things.'"

Dogwood: "Three rural health clinics are closing in Virginia, but you wouldn't know it by looking at the public comments of local and state Republicans."

The Hill's Julia Manchester on DC News Now: "This is impacting Virginia as a whole … and it will impact the November elections. There have been three rural hospitals or healthcare centers that have closed in Virginia very recently. It was announced yesterday that it was a total of three. And the hospital systems are saying that this is a result of being squeezed, budget-wise, by the spending bill, President Trump's so-called big beautiful bill. They are blaming it on that. And now you have Democrats in Virginia, ahead of November, really grasping at this and saying, you know, using it to attack Republicans. Abigail Spanberger is attacking Winsome Sears with this."

DGA External Affairs Director Ofirah Yheskel on Bloomberg's Balance of Power: "Republicans seem dead set on running on the fact that they're going to raise people's health care costs, and far be it for me to stop them. And we're seeing that too with the One Big Beautiful Bill already taking a role in the Virginia governor election that's less than 60 days away, where we're already starting to see rural health care clinics in Virginia stand up and say "we're going to have to close our doors," specifically citing the One Big Beautiful Bill."

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