President Donald Trump has pledged to keep Medicaid intact while House Republicans are moving forward with a budget that would reduce Medicaid spending.
Trump endorsed House Republicans’ $4.5 trillion budget that prioritizes his wishes for border security and energy policy while also extending the tax cuts passed in 2017. To offset the tax cuts, the House has proposed $2 trillion in spending cuts to various departments, including $880 billion in Medicaid spending over the next decade.
“Medicare, Medicaid — none of that stuff is going to be touched,” Trump said in an interview Wednesday night, though he said he supported eliminating benefits to illegal immigrants.
House Republicans have a slim majority to get the bill passed assuming all Democrats vote in opposition and the cuts are necessary for the approval of fiscal conservatives concerned about adding to the deficit.
Moderate Republicans are also worried about the impact cuts to Medicaid could have on residents in their district, the Hill reported.
“If the inference is there’s no path to 880 without drastically hurting poor people, then the bill is dead,” a congressman told The Hill.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has said the savings would come from eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in the program and implementing work requirements.
“Medicaid has never been on the chopping block,” Johnson said. “You know, work is good for you; you find dignity in work. And the people that are not doing that, we’re going to try to get their attention. Everyone needs to take a deep sigh of relief and understand that we’re not going to harm any Americans with this.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., warned the Medicaid cuts would close hospitals, shut down nursing homes and deprive children of healthcare.
“There are 215 Democrats in the House who actually want to love and cherish Medicaid, not destroy it,” Jeffries said. “We only need three House Republicans to join us.”
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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