Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) recently announced that he will welcome Claxton, Georgia, healthcare leader Bill Lee as his guest to this year’s State of the Union address, highlighting the potential harms to rural hospitals resulting from healthcare cuts.
The Georgia Senator expressed pride in being able to welcome Mr. Lee as his guest, but sees him as a victim of Republican policymaking. Sen. Warnock also sees Mr. Lee as a brilliant example of what makes a good public servant, so granting him this opportunity was an easy decision to make.
“I’m proud to welcome Bill to Washington as my State of the Union guest,” said Sen. Warnock in a statement. “Rural hospitals have been struggling for years, but the recent GOP health care tax cuts will be devastating for rural hospitals and clinics, including Evans Memorial Hospital.”
“I believe we would all be better off if my colleagues in Washington followed the example of Georgians like Bill Lee, who has devoted his life to making his communities healthier and happier,” he concluded.
Context
Bill Lee is the Chief Executive Officer of Evans Memorial Hospital, which is a rural, not-for-profit hospital located in the South Georgia town of Claxton.
In August 2025, Sen. Warnock met with Mr. Lee at Evans Memorial following the passage of a Continuing Resolution that made drastic cuts to federal health care funding. Since 1968, Evans Memorial Hospital has been providing high-quality, compassionate care to Claxton, Georgia, and its neighboring communities.
However, rural healthcare institutions across Georgia have been under financial strain for years, and these issues were allegedly exacerbated by the One Big, Beautiful Bill, which made drastic cuts to federal healthcare funding.
In the past, Evans Memorial had to shut down its labor and delivery unit because it was no longer financially viable and could not sustain the rising costs of maintaining that service line for its community.
The hospital continues to face the possibility of losing its ICU services and currently faces a $1 million shortfall, with continued uncertainty leaving that number subject to increase.
