As part of its budget bill, House Republicans are aiming to cut spending by up to $2.5 trillion, Punchbowl News reported.
Included on the possible chopping block is Medicaid, including benefits for enrollees, sources told Punchbowl, but some House Republicans are skeptical about the proposal while they look at $4.7 trillion in tax cuts.
House Republicans and the Senate remain at odds over how to pass a budget bill that would include tax cuts, plus spending on border security and energy policy, bulwarks of President Donald Trump's agenda.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the chair of the Senate Budget Committee, is planning to mark up his budget resolution that would feature $340 billion in border security and defense spending, despite pleas from House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to stand down.
"I hope the House will move forward soon, but we cannot allow this moment to pass, and we cannot let President Trump's America First Agenda stall," Graham posted on X Friday.
"I appreciate the Senate's zeal; we have it in the House as well," Johnson countered in an interview Sunday. "But as I reminded my friend Lindsey, I have about 170 additional personalities to deal with, and he's only got 53 on the Republican side there."
House Republicans hope to pass everything in one single reconciliation bill, while Senate Republicans prefer to extend Trump's tax cuts in a second bill later this year. Johnson's slim majority means he can afford few Republican defectors if Democrats stand united in opposition.
Republicans are worried about the political fallout of cutting Medicaid and making changes to other safety net programs, while pushing for tax cuts for wealthy Americans and corporations, Punchbowl reported.
"I'll be very blunt — Medicaid isn't just something for people who don't want to work or on welfare," Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., told Punchbowl. "Seventy million people in this country get their healthcare through Medicaid now, because we increased the limits."
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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