Rural Clinic in Trump District Shuts Down as CEO Cites Medicaid Cuts
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A rural clinic located in a district President Donald Trump won by more than 50 points in the 2024 election is being forced to shut down as the CEO cites federal cuts to Medicaid as a driving factor.
Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment via email on Thursday.
Why It Matters
The clinic's closure comes as Republicans just shepherded a massive tax cuts and spending package through Congress that includes steep cuts to Medicaid and is expected to be signed into law by President Donald Trump on July 4.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act aims to deliver on Trump's biggest legislative priorities, including making permanent tax cuts that disproportionately benefit wealthy Americans and increasing funding for immigration enforcement.
The tax cuts and immigration initiatives are being paid for largely by deep spending reductions to Medicaid and food assistance programs, which critics say will harm working-class, low-income and elderly Americans, especially those in red states.
President Donald Trump speaks to the media before walking across the South Lawn of the White House to board Marine One en route to Joint Base Andrews, Md., and on to Florida, Tuesday, July 1,...
President Donald Trump speaks to the media before walking across the South Lawn of the White House to board Marine One en route to Joint Base Andrews, Md., and on to Florida, Tuesday, July 1, 2025, in Washington. More
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
What To Know
Community Hospital, based in McCook, Nebraska, said this week that it will shut down a rural clinic it runs in the town of Curtis, which has about 900 people.
"Unfortunately, the current financial environment, driven by anticipated federal budget cuts to Medicaid, has made it impossible for us to continue operating all of our services, many of which have faced significant financial challenges for years," Community Hospital CEO Troy Bruntz said in a statement on Wednesday.
More than 350,000 Nebraskans are Medicaid recipients as of the 2024 fiscal year. Both Community Hospital and Curtis Medical Center are located in Nebraska's 3rd Congressional District, which Trump carried by more than 50 points in the November general election.
Trump won 76.3 percent of the general election vote in the district, compared to then-Democratic nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris's 22.5 percent.
The Republican congressman who represents the district, Adrian Smith, voted to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on Thursday.
Smith celebrated the bill's passage, saying in a statement: "Getting our work done on this legislation is a game changer for American workers, families, and our nation's long-term fiscal outlook. It not only prevents severe tax hikes and expands tax relief for family farms, small businesses, and middle-class Americans, it strengthens essential Farm Bill programs."
What People Are Saying
Smith said in his statement Thursday: "[The bill] also ensures public assistance programs remain sustainable for the neediest Americans and empowers the Trump administration to keep our communities safe. I championed provisions in the package which will empower parents with educational choice, support biofuels producers and energy affordability, and boost growth for capital-intensive industries such as manufacturing. After years of work in the Ways and Means Committee and months of intense debate across both the House and the Senate, this bill will catalyze President Trump's plan to energize our economy and get our country back on track."
What Happens Next
The Curtis Medical Center is expected to wind down its operations in the next few months. Trump is set to sign the One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law on Friday evening.
This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
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Software companies Synopsys (SNPS), Cadence (CDNS), and Siemens (SIEGY) said they will now restore access for their Chinese customers. These firms develop important electronic design automation tools used in chipmaking. The US also lifted licensing rules for ethane producers. Earlier restrictions were part of Trump's response to China blocking rare earth exports, which had disrupted supply chains for cars, aerospace, and defense industries. Reuters reports: Read more here. President Trump had targeted Vietnam with some of the highest tariffs of any country on his April "Liberation Day." That's at least partly because he and top advisers have made Vietnam an example of a country that is allegedly "ripping off" the US. Vietnam has become the US's 10th-largest trade partner, according to US Census data. And it is the seventh-largest source of imports, sending goods worth over $130 billion. 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The "take it or leave it" letters go out with just days to go to that deadline for resumption of sweeping tariffs laid out in April by Trump. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. The US trade deal with Vietnam should be seen as a early sign to Asian countries that higher tariffs are not going anywhere. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. Vietnam negotiators said on Thursday that they are still working with the US to finalize the details of the trade deal, which was announced by President Trump on Wednesday. No further details have been provided to businesses and investors beyond the tariff rates disclosed so far. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. Treasury Secretary Bessent has been making the rounds today, talking about the Trump tax bill and tariffs as next week's July 9 deadline looms. Per Reuters, Bessent said around 100 countries are likely to see a "reciprocal" tariff of 10%: Bessent also said Trump would ultimately decide whether to extend that July 9 deadline for countries negotiating "in good faith." Bloomberg News reports Read more here. German car exports to the US fell in April and May as import tariffs imposed by the Trump administration hit German automakers' sales, according to data from the VDA industry association. Reuters reports: Read more here. Luxury watch specialist, Watches of Switzerland warned on Thursday that its profit margin could fall this year as the luxury watch sector adjusts to higher US tariffs. Reuters reports: Read more here. The South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Thursday that it still remains unclear if trade talks between Seoul and Washington can result in a deal before next week's deadline to avert sweeping tariffs from President Donald Trump. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. President Trump has his eye on any loopholes that China may use to swerve tariffs. Trump's two-tired trade deal with Vietnam takes aim at practices China has used to avoid US tariffs, such as the widespread shifting of production to Southeast Asian factories and the illegal "origin washing" of exports through their ports. Beijing has responded and said it was 'conducting an assessment' of the US-Vietnam trade deal, adding: 'We firmly oppose any party striking a deal at the expense of China's interests.' 'If such a situation arises, China will take resolute countermeasures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests,' the ministry added. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. The US and India are on the verge of sealing the deal when it comes to reducing tariffs. But there appears to be one sticking point ahead of President Trump's July 9 deadline and it centers around dairy and agriculture. Here's an explainer on why farm goods may hold up a trade deal between the two nations. Reuters reports: Read more here. China is growing more worried as President Trump strikes deals with other countries. On Thursday Beijing hit out at the US-Vietnam trade deal, amid concerns that the US is using "Liberation Day" tariff negotiations with countries to curb China's export machine. The deal with Vietnam, which was announced by the US President on Wednesday, lowers tariffs on Hanoi's exports from 46% to 20%, but it retains a 409% levy on t"trans-shipping" of goods, which China believes is aimed at its re-exports to the US. .The FT reports: Read more here. Indonesia plans to sign a $34 billion deal with US businesses next week to increase purchases and help secure a trade agreement before the July 9 deadline, its top economic minister said Thursday. Reuters reports: Read more here. The trade truce between the US and China may be holding for now, but China is becoming wary that it may thaw. Beijing's concerns stem from what may be happening elsewhere and the US's efforts to forge deals that could isolate Chinese firms from global supply chains. The US has removed export restrictions on chip design software and ethene shipments. China has responded by making concessions over its rare earth export controls. But despite this, China is still on edge. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. Trade negotiations between the US and India have been moving forward. But unresolved issues over US dairy and agriculture have caused some disagreements between the two sides, according to sources familiar with the talks. Reuters reports: Read more here. The US has removed export restrictions on chip design software and ethane shipments to China, easing trade tensions between the two countries. China recently made concessions over its rare earth export controls. Software companies Synopsys (SNPS), Cadence (CDNS), and Siemens (SIEGY) said they will now restore access for their Chinese customers. These firms develop important electronic design automation tools used in chipmaking. The US also lifted licensing rules for ethane producers. Earlier restrictions were part of Trump's response to China blocking rare earth exports, which had disrupted supply chains for cars, aerospace, and defense industries. Reuters reports: Read more here. President Trump had targeted Vietnam with some of the highest tariffs of any country on his April "Liberation Day." That's at least partly because he and top advisers have made Vietnam an example of a country that is allegedly "ripping off" the US. Vietnam has become the US's 10th-largest trade partner, according to US Census data. And it is the seventh-largest source of imports, sending goods worth over $130 billion. It contains factories for some of the biggest US-based apparel makers, including Nike (NKE) and Lululemon (LULU). Vietnam became a destination for companies looking to diversify manufacturing as US-China tensions escalated over the past decade. Vietnam's trade surplus with the US ballooned to over $123 billion last year. This year's US trade deficit with Vietnam stood over $50 billion through just April as companies raced to move more operations out of China. President Trump followed up his previous announcement of a trade deal with Vietnam with some additional details on social media. "It is my Great Honor to announce that I have just made a Trade Deal with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam after speaking with To Lam, the Highly Respected General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam," Trump posted on Truth Social. Trump wrote that the two sides agreed to a 20% tariff rate on all goods sent from Vietnam to the US and a 40% tariff rate on transshipment — essentially, when goods from China or other countries are routed through Vietnam. Tariffs on goods from the country were previously set to return to 46% on July 9. Vietnam also lowered tariffs on US goods to zero, Trump said, and is lowering trade barriers. The president suggested US automakers could introduce more SUVs to the Southeast Asian country. "In return, Vietnam will do something that they have never done before, give the United States of America TOTAL ACCESS to their Markets for Trade," Trump wrote. "In other words, they will 'OPEN THEIR MARKET TO THE UNITED STATES,' meaning that, we will be able to sell our product into Vietnam at ZERO Tariff." The US and Vietnam are said to be very close to a establishing a trade framework that will see goods given a scaled range of tariffs depending on the percentage of foreign content, according to people familiar with the talks. Reuters reports: Read more here. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
