Democratic Congressman Sylvester Turner issued a stark warning to President Donald Trump not to “mess with Medicaid” just hours before his unexpected passing at the age of 70 on Wednesday, March 5, PEOPLE reported.
Turner, who represented Texas’s 18th Congressional District, was elected to Capitol Hill in November last year after serving as mayor of Houston from 2016 until January 2024. He attended Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress on March 4, where he was an outspoken advocate for Medicaid.
Following the speech, Houston Mayor John Whitmire revealed that Turner fell ill and was transported to a hospital. He was later released but tragically passed away at his Washington, D.C., home the following morning.
“This comes as a shock to everyone,” Whitmire said, mourning his predecessor. He described Turner as a “remarkable public servant who impacted millions of people,” adding, “He rose from poverty but never forgot where he came from. It is a terrible loss for the city and a personal loss for me. I ask Houstonians to celebrate his life.”
In what would be one of his final public statements, Turner took to X (formerly Twitter) before his passing to voice his firm stance on Medicaid. “My message to the current administration for tonight’s State of the Union: ‘Don’t mess with Medicaid,'” Turner wrote.
The post included a video featuring Turner alongside Angela Hernandez, a guest from his congressional district whom he brought to Trump’s speech. Hernandez is the mother of 2-year-old Baislee Garcia, who has a rare genetic disorder, Chromosome 8p: Inversion/Duplication/Deletion.
“She is representing and advocating for her daughter, Bailee Garcia, who has a rare genetic disorder Chromosome 8p: Inversion/Duplication/Deletion,” Turner explained in his post. In the video, Hernandez emphasized the importance of Medicaid for her family, stating, “Losing Medicaid would be devastating to us.”
Turner echoed her concerns, warning against any cuts to the program. “Let me be clear: any cuts to Medicaid are a direct attack on families like Angela’s,” he declared. “President Trump and Elon Musk’s push to gut Medicaid is nothing short of a betrayal of the most vulnerable among us.
They are playing politics with children’s lives, and I will not stand for it.” According to Newsweek, Trump did not mention Medicaid in his address on Tuesday night. While his administration has proposed spending cuts, he has previously assured that his administration remains committed to the program.
Turner’s sudden passing marks a significant loss for both his district and the larger fight for Medicaid protections, leaving a void in the Democratic push to safeguard healthcare access for vulnerable families.
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