Zach Nunn Voted For The Largest Medicaid Cut In History, Threatening To Cost Thousands Of Iowans Their Access To Care And Shuttering Hospitals Across The Third Congressional District

July 2025: Nunn Voted For The One Big Beautiful Bill, Which Made The Largest Medicaid Cut In History And Threatened To Cost Over 26,000 Thousands Iowans In The Third District’s Access To Care

July 3, 2025: Nunn Voted For The Big Beautiful Bill. On July 3, 2025, Nunn voted for: “Motion to concur in the Senate amendment to the bill that would permanently extend nearly $4 trillion in expiring individual and business tax cuts, create several new tax breaks and fund border and immigration enforcement and air traffic control upgrades. It would cut Medicaid and other safety net programs to partly offset the cost. Among other provisions, it would raise the statutory debt ceiling by $5 trillion and appropriate more than $448 billion in mandatory funding for Trump administration priorities and other needs, including $153 billion for defense, $89 billion for immigration enforcement, and $89.5 billion for border control and security. It also would increase the state and local tax deduction cap to $40,000 annually for five years for households making up to $500,000 a year until 2030, when it would permanently revert to $10,000.” Motion agreed to 218-214. [H.R.1, Vote #190, 7/3/25; CQ, 7/3/25]

  • KFF: The Big Beautiful Bill Cut Medicaid By Nearly $1 Trillion. “On July 4, President Trump signed into law a budget reconciliation package once called the ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’ that made major reductions in federal health care spending to offset part of the costs of extending expiring tax cuts. The Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) latest cost estimate shows that the reconciliation package would reduce federal Medicaid spending over a decade by an estimated $911 billion (after accounting for interactions that produce overlapping reductions across different provisions of the law) and increase the number of uninsured people by 10 million.” [KFF, 7/23/25]
    • The Big Beautiful Bill’s Cuts To Medicaid Was The Largest In History. “The OBBB cuts over $1 trillion from health programs – the largest rollback of federal support for health care in American history. These cuts will result in an estimated 10 million people losing their health insurance coverage. The legislation also slashes at least $120 billion from SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps), reducing food assistance for low-income families.” [Center for Medicare Advocacy, 7/24/25]
  • The Big Beautiful Bill Was Projected To Cost 26,274 People In Iowa’s Third District Their Access To Care. [Joint Economic Committee Minority, September 2025]

After Nunn Said It Was A “Myth” That Medicaid Cuts He Voted For Would Hurt Iowa Hospitals, Multiple Facilities Across The Third Congressional District Closed And Cut Services

July 2025: Nunn Called It A “Myth” To Say That Hospitals Would Close Because Of Medicaid Cuts

July 2025: Nunn Said It Was A “Myth” To Say Rural Hospitals Would Close Because Of Cuts In The Big Beautiful Bill. NUNN: “Yeah Zach, let’s dispel myths from reality here. I think that the myth here is that rural hospitals are going to close down. That’s not the case. In fact, we’re going to make sure in places like Iowa that have been working, they’re going to continue to receive that.” [WHO 13 News, 7/6/25] (VIDEO)

Multiple Hospitals In Iowa’s Third Congressional Closed And Cut Services Because Of Medicaid Cuts

2025: Nunn Voted For A Bill That Caused A Healthcare Center In His District To Shut Down Because Of The Bill’s “Drastic Cuts To Medicaid.” “A healthcare center in Ottumwa, Iowa is shutting down due to drastic cuts in Medicaid funding as part of Trump's ‘One Big Beautiful’ budget bill. Republican Zach Nunn who represents Ottumwa voted for Trump's budget bill, along with every other Republican member of Iowa's congressional delegation. Nunn now wants his constituents to know he is going to protect their healthcare.” [MeidasTouch Network, 1/16/26]

American Journal News, March 2026: Seven Months After Nunn Said Rural Hospital Closures Because Of The Big Beautiful Bill Were A “Myth,” Seven Medical Facilities In Iowa Had Either “Shut Their Doors, Laid Off Staff, Or Reduced Services. “Iowa Rep. Zach Nunn said it was a “myth” that Medicaid cuts would lead to hospital closures. Less than a year later, seven of his state’s medical facilities have shut their doors, laid off staff, or reduced services. All of these reductions are a result of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB), which Nunn supported.” [American Journal News, 3/11/26]

  • A MercyOne Hospital Clinic In Ottumwa, Which Was In Nunn’s District, Closed Because Of The Medicaid Cuts. “‘I think the myth here is that rural hospitals are going to close down,’ Nunn told WHO13 News in July 2025, shortly after OBBB became law. ‘That’s not the case.’ Since making this remark, MercyOne, a Catholic nonprofit that operates multiple medical offices in Iowa, has shut down two facilities in Ottumwa and Traer and reduced staff at two more in Des Moines and Mason City. MercyOne patients in Ottumwa, which is in Nunn’s district, will now need to drive up to an hour to receive medical care. MercyOne specifically cited Medicaid cuts as a cause of the staff reductions in Des Moines. ‘It is not possible to simply absorb such a significant financial impact without making thoughtful, forward-thinking changes,’ the nonprofit said in a statement. In January, the Pella Regional Medical Clinic, which is also in Ottumwa, announced that it was reducing its family and general practitioner offerings. Around the same time, the Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center in West Burlington stopped providing birthing services.” [American Journal News, 3/11/26]
    • Iowa Starting Line: “Nunn Told WHO13 In July 2025 That Rural Hospital Closures Were A ‘Myth.’ Seven Months Later, The Ottumwa Clinic Closed.” “Nunn told WHO13 in July 2025 that rural hospital closures were a “myth.” Seven months later, the Ottumwa clinic closed. Nunn’s office did not respond to a request for comment for this story. MercyOne said in the release it will not participate in media interviews, saying its focus is on transitioning patients to other locations. The health system said impacted staff have been offered positions at other MercyOne sites.” [Iowa Starting Line, 4/28/26]
  • A MercyOne Clinic In Des Moines, Which Was In Nunn’s District, “Specifically Cited Medicaid Cuts As A Cause Of The Staff Reductions.” “‘I think the myth here is that rural hospitals are going to close down,’ Nunn told WHO13 News in July 2025, shortly after OBBB became law. ‘That’s not the case.’ Since making this remark, MercyOne, a Catholic nonprofit that operates multiple medical offices in Iowa, has shut down two facilities in Ottumwa and Traer and reduced staff at two more in Des Moines and Mason City. MercyOne patients in Ottumwa, which is in Nunn’s district, will now need to drive up to an hour to receive medical care. MercyOne specifically cited Medicaid cuts as a cause of the staff reductions in Des Moines. ‘It is not possible to simply absorb such a significant financial impact without making thoughtful, forward-thinking changes,’ the nonprofit said in a statement. In January, the Pella Regional Medical Clinic, which is also in Ottumwa, announced that it was reducing its family and general practitioner offerings. Around the same time, the Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center in West Burlington stopped providing birthing services.” [American Journal News, 3/11/26]
  • A Regional Medical Clinic In Nunn’s District Said It Was “Reducing Its Family And General Practitioner Offerings” Because Of The Medicaid Cuts. “‘I think the myth here is that rural hospitals are going to close down,’ Nunn told WHO13 News in July 2025, shortly after OBBB became law. ‘That’s not the

case.’ Since making this remark, MercyOne, a Catholic nonprofit that operates multiple medical offices in Iowa, has shut down two facilities in Ottumwa and Traer and reduced staff at two more in Des Moines and Mason City. MercyOne patients in Ottumwa, which is in Nunn’s district, will now need to drive up to an hour to receive medical care. MercyOne specifically cited Medicaid cuts as a cause of the staff reductions in Des Moines. ‘It is not possible to simply absorb such a significant financial impact without making thoughtful, forward-thinking changes,’ the nonprofit said in a statement. In January, the Pella Regional Medical Clinic, which is also in Ottumwa, announced that it was reducing its family and general practitioner offerings. Around the same time, the Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center in West Burlington stopped providing birthing services.” [American Journal News, 3/11/26]

Iowa Starting Line: MercyOne Was “Closing Two South Des Moines Clinics” Because Of “Cuts US Rep. Zach Nunn Voted For.” “MercyOne is closing two South Des Moines clinics in June, and the health system is pointing to expected Medicaid cuts—the same cuts US Rep. Zach Nunn voted for—as part of the reason why. MercyOne announced this week it will close its South Des Moines Family Medicine and Urgent Care locations on June 26, citing rising costs, staffing pressures, and anticipated cuts to Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement—the latest in a string of Iowa clinic closures tied to federal healthcare policy changes.” [Iowa Starting Line, 4/28/26]

May 2026: River Hills Community Center In Centerville, Iowa Announced It Was Closing Because Of “Financial And Operational Challenges.” “River Hills Community Health Center has announced the closure of its Centerville clinic, effective July 31st, 2026, citing ongoing financial and operational challenges facing rural health care providers across Iowa and the nation. The announcement comes shortly after the organization announced the closure of its Richland Dental Clinic in Keokuk County, which was announced April 29th, 2026, also attributed to cuts in insurance funding nationwide. The southeast Iowa region has experienced cuts by many health care providing agencies, reflecting a broader trend affecting rural and community health systems nationwide.” [Ottumwa Radio, 5/12/26]

Source report (PDF)