ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - A new poll shows most Georgia voters oppose a sweeping federal spending package backed by state Republicans, which includes extended tax breaks and deep cuts to Medicaid.

According to a recent Public Policy Polling survey, 52% of Georgia voters said they disapprove of the law, which was passed by the U.S. House earlier this summer with support from Republican lawmakers, including Georgia Rep. Mike Collins.

In Athens, Georgia, retired public school teacher Carolyn Gorman said she believes those cuts could devastate working families.

“A lot of my students were on Medicaid,” Gorman said. “That’s where they got their healthcare. If we want kids to succeed, they need to be healthy.”

Concerned about the bill’s impact, Gorman wrote to Collins asking him not to support it.

She received a letter in return, stating: “There are currently no plans to cut Medicaid funding,” and that he “opposed cuts because there are many people who truly need Medicaid for their healthcare needs.”

Gorman said the timing of his response didn’t add up.

“When I got his response, it was 9 in the morning, and he had already voted in favor of House Bill 1. So he lied to me,” Gorman said.

Collins defended his vote on X, saying the media had distorted the facts. He argued the bill is aimed at cleaning up the system and protecting benefits for those who need them.

“By mandating work requirements for able-bodied adults and removing illegal aliens who should never have been enrolled... President Trump and Republicans are strengthening Medicaid for generations to come,” Collins said in a statement.

An analysis from the Congressional Budget Office estimates the legislation would reduce Medicaid spending by more than $911 billion over the next decade. The agency also projected that 10 million Americans could lose coverage by 2034. Additionally, the bill proposes $500 billion in reductions to Medicare by slowing provider payments and tightening eligibility.

Gorman says the consequences would hit Georgia especially hard.

“We’re already a fairly poor, rural state. This bill will close hospitals, nursing homes, and cost people jobs,” she said.

The Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that as many as 750,000 Georgians could lose Medicaid coverage over the next 10 years under provisions like those included in the bill.

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