Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla., on Wednesday said he's "been called a racist" by his fellow House legislators over his support for the changes to Medicaid work requirements made in the wide ranging tax and spending bill that passed earlier this month.
Hern, in an interview with NewsNation during the Hill Nation Summit, said that his fellow members of the Ways and Means Committee have called him a racist because of the work requirements, which Republicans have defended as necessary to reduce Medicaid abuse and independent reviews have warned could cause millions of eligible people to lose their coverage.
"I think work matters in America. I've been criticized by that — I've been called a racist because I think you should work — by members of the Ways and Means Committee," Hern said.
"There's going to be a lot of demagoguery about this. A lot of these cuts to Medicaid, a lot of these work requirements, and others don't even go into effect until 2027," he added.
The congressman also said that government shouldn't interfere with business because "they can create jobs and put Americans to work."
Hern said, "That's what President (Donald) Trump's doing every single day, he's bringing business back to America. ... you create jobs so people can work, not be dependent on the government."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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