Council of Economic Advisers Chair Stephen Miran told Newsmax on Monday that failure to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would trigger "the biggest tax hike in history" and leave 8 million to 9 million Americans without health insurance.
On "The Record With Greta Van Susteren," Miran defended the "one, big, beautiful bill," known as the OBBB, and its proposed Medicaid reforms. He emphasized that without the legislation, the nation faces steep tax increases and widespread coverage losses.
"So let me say a couple [of] things about Medicaid," Miran told host Van Susteren. "The first one is that if we don't pass the bill, it's going to be the biggest tax hike in history. It'll send the economy careening into recession. And as a result of that, 8 [million] to 9 million people will lose their health insurance."
Miran explained that the OBBB not only averts those losses but also "boosts economic growth enormously, brings people in off the sidelines of the labor market, just as has happened with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and gets people off of Medicaid because they're working jobs that include insurance."
Under the bill's Medicaid provisions, the federal matching rate for expansion populations would be reduced, and eligibility requirements tightened.
Critics argue that these cuts — estimated at $863 billion over fiscal years 2025 through 2034 in the House version — could strain state budgets and restrict access to care for low-income beneficiaries. Supporters counter that targeting waste and fraud preserves the program's long-term viability.
"Right. On top of that, we're eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse," Miran said. "And these are things like illegal immigrants participating in the Medicaid program, which is a fraudulent waste of taxpayer dollars. And by getting them off of Medicaid, we end up preserving Medicaid and making it more sustainable for everyone else who's using it, who has a right to use it."
The Senate is holding a marathon voting session on amendments, known as a "vote-a-rama," during which lawmakers propose changes to the bill before the final vote. The debate on amendments continued late into Sunday night.
The president is urging his party to pass the tax cuts and spending package by the Fourth of July, after which it will need House approval before reaching his desk.
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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