VIDEO – REPORTING BAD NEWS –
July 19, 2025 – Danny McGee struggled with drug and alcohol addiction for more than 50 years. McGee said when he entered the Veteran’s Alcoholic Rehabilitation Program (VARP) in early 2024, it sent him on the road to recovery. He says that without entering the program, he might not even be alive.”Me, with my type of mentality, I would probably end up back in prison, or dead,” McGee said.
Could his success story be one of the program’s last? It’s something many are worried about, with massive cuts to Medicaid expected after the passage of Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill.
“What’s so beautiful about not helping people?” asked McGee. “I understand cuts need to be made, but when it’s something about helping people — that we know in our country has such a big drug issue, and addictions — why would you stop that?”
McGee spoke at a news conference at the rehabilitation center in San Bernardino on Friday morning, joined by Aguilar.
“Medical, and the federal Medicaid program, is a lifeline,” Aguilar said. “(It’s) the single largest source of treatment for millions of people across this country.”
