Latest news with #MedicaidReform
Fox News
4 days ago
- Business
- Fox News
GOP rails against 'blatantly false' Dem claims about Medicaid reform in Trump's 'big, beautiful bill'
House Republicans are celebrating Medicaid reform in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which the House GOP says eliminates waste, fraud and abuse to deliver for Americans who need coverage most. Meanwhile, Democrats have railed against possible Medicaid cuts since President Donald Trump was elected in November. Now that his "big, beautiful bill" has passed in the House of Representatives, Democrats are defining Medicaid cuts as a driving issue ahead of competitive midterm elections in 2026. Republicans say there is more to the story. "The One, Big Beautiful Bill puts Americans first. We're securing the border. We're protecting benefits for the most vulnerable. We are investing in American manufacturing. We're investing in our own energy production," Rep. Erin Houchin, R-Ind., told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. "The Democrats have been focusing on this specific line of attack that 13.7 million Americans are going to lose their health care, and that's just blatantly false." The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a nonpartisan analysis for the U.S. Congress, estimates that 8.6 million people in the United States will lose health insurance by 2034 through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act's Medicaid reform. "Five million of those people are receiving a tax credit under the Affordable Care Act that was passed by the Democrats with a sunset date that was implemented by the Democrats. We're simply allowing the sunset date to expire as the Democrats originally intended," Houchin said. CBO estimates that 13.7 million Americans will lose coverage by 2034, which also includes the 5 million Americans who were already set to lose coverage. A number of Democrats have already deployed the figure in campaign messages rejecting Trump's "big, beautiful bill" passing in the House. "I don't trust the CBO score, nor should the American people, because it's been proven again and again to be wildly off," added Houchin, who served on three major committees leading budget markup, including the House Rules, Budget and Energy and Commerce committees. The American Accountability Foundation, a conservative government research nonprofit, found that of the 32 staff members on CBO's Health Analysis Division, 26 of them have "clearly" verified liberal partisan biases, as a Democrat donor, registered Democrat or a Democratic primary voter, as Fox News Digital reported this month. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act does not cut Medicaid for the most vulnerable, according to Houchin. Instead, she says targeting waste, fraud and abuse in the Medicaid program cuts benefits to illegal immigrants, those ineligible to receive benefits who are currently receiving benefits, duplicate enrollees in one or more states and those who are able-bodied but are choosing not to work. "If you have to think about the four things that we're doing in Medicaid to strengthen it, we're removing anybody that is illegal, ineligible or duplicate, and we're ensuring that able-bodied adults, on the expansion population, have a very modest work requirement, in exchange for receiving benefits. Those things are overwhelmingly supported by the American people, yet the Democrats continue to lie about what this bill is actually doing," Houchin said. Republicans say they are cleaning up the program to ensure working families and the most vulnerable Americans can rely on the program for generations to come. "What we're trying to do is protect precious Medicaid dollars for those who need it most," Houchin said. "That's what we're doing. No one in the traditional Medicaid population needs to worry. And even if you're in the able-body expansion population, there are many opportunities to comply to participate in Medicaid." However, Democrats have already designated Medicaid cuts as a defining issue in 2026. "House Republicans' giant tax scam will kick millions of people off their health insurance," Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) spokesperson Viet Shelton told Fox News Digital. "It is fact. Independent analysts say it. Health care professionals say it. Hell, even Republican senators say so. Their saying anything to the contrary is just them trying to protect their already in danger majority." After weeks of negotiating through budget reconciliation, House Republicans finally reached a consensus and passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last week. The bill passed just 215 to 214, and all Democrats voted against it. Republicans' slim majority managed to deliver a legislative win for Trump. However, the "big, beautiful" fight is far from over as the Senate is tasked with drafting their own version of the bill. Senate Republicans have indicated they do not support the bill in its current form. "I don't want to see rural hospitals close their doors because funding got cut. I also don't like the idea of a hidden tax on the working poor. That's why I'm a NO on this House bill in its current form," Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said. The sweeping, multitrillion-dollar legislation advances Trump's agenda on taxes, immigration, energy, defense and the national debt. The bill includes Trump's key campaign promises, including no tax on tips and overtime, and it seeks to permanently extend his 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. "By passing the largest cut to Medicaid in history, Republicans are ripping away health care from millions of Americans and levying a de facto hidden tax on working-class families," DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene said in a statement after the bill passed. "Now that vulnerable Republicans are on the record voting for it, this betrayal of the American people will cost them their jobs in the midterms and Republicans the House Majority come 2026." While Democrats target vulnerable Republicans for supporting Medicaid reform in Trump's "big, beautiful bill," Republicans are taking aim at Democrats for voting against the bill's tax cuts. "House Democrats voted for the largest tax increase in generations while giving taxpayer-funded freebies to illegal immigrants. The NRCC will make sure voters don't forget how they betrayed working families," National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC) spokesman Mike Marinella said in a statement to Fox News Digital. As House members return to their home states and communicate with constituents during the congressional recess, the NRCC is encouraging House Republicans to go on the offense on Medicaid reform. "We're encouraging all of our caucus, our conference members to continue to communicate with the local and national media to reiterate what we know to be true about this One Big Beautiful Bill," Houchin said. "It puts Americans first and will ensure that these programs will be around for the next generation, because we're not wasting any tax dollars, any precious benefits on people who are illegal, ineligible, enrolled in multiple states or are able-bodied and could be working. These programs were designed for our most vulnerable Americans, and the One Big Beautiful Bill protects benefits for those people."
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sunday shows preview: House GOP bill faces weary Senate; Trump-Harvard battle crescendos
President Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' slimly passed the House on Thursday morning after lawmakers wrestled with the legislation during an all-night session. The GOP spending bill now rests before a weary upper chamber as Medicaid reforms and deficit expansion remain concerns for Senate Republicans. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has urged his colleagues not to tamper with the bill's language, citing a very 'delicate equilibrium' reached between the party's fiscal hawks and Republicans in blue states pushing for tax breaks. Under a deal with the latter, the SALT Caucus, Johnson has agreed to tow against any proposed Senate changes. Still, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has already raised several slated revisions. Johnson will likely address how he aims to mitigate the muddy waters between the two chambers during his appearance on CNN's 'State of the Union,' Fox News' 'Fox News Sunday' and CBS' 'Face the Nation.' Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has already committed to voting down the bill, slamming a decision to increase the debt ceiling by $4 trillion while Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) has also criticized the bill. Paul and Johnson will join Fox News' 'Fox News Sunday' and CNN's 'State of the Union, respectively, and will likely share more insights into their apprehensions. While Washington grapples with Trump's spending bill, one of the country's oldest educational institutions remains embattled with the federal government. Harvard University has filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent the administration's elimination of their Student and Exchange Visitor Program certificate, which allows international students to study at the school. Campus officials have called the move by the Trump administration a blow to First Amendment rights and said the administration was retaliating after the school signed on to other lawsuits against the administration. 'The revocation continues a series of government actions to retaliate against Harvard for our refusal to surrender our academic independence and to submit to the federal government's illegal assertion of control over our curriculum, our faculty, and our student body' Harvard's President Alan Garber wrote in an open letter to students. The crack down also comes as multiple foreign visa holders, particularly on college campuses, have been detained after voicing support for Palestine amid the war in Gaza. Human rights advocates have sparked concerns over the humanitarian crisis in the region reporting a dire need for food and aid. Cindy McCain, executive director of the UN's World Food Programme will likely outline conditions in the Middle East during her appearance on CBS' 'Face the Nation.' Please see the full list for Sunday show guests below: NewsNation's 'The Hill Sunday:' Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.), ambassador Wendy Sherman, a former deputy secretary of the State Department CBS' 'Face the Nation:' House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.); Reps. Jim Himes (D-Conn.); Zach Nunn (R-Iowa), and Don Davis (D-N.C.); Cindy McCain, executive director of the World Food Program CNN's 'State of the Union:' House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.); Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) NBC's 'Meet the Press:' Dr. Vivek Murthy, a former U.S. surgeon general; former Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) Fox News' 'Fox News Sunday:' House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.); Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) Fox News' 'Sunday Morning Futures:' Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Matthew Whitaker, U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Michael Faulkender, deputy secretary of the Treasury Department Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Independent
22-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Trump's ‘big, beautiful bill' clears key committee after contentious fight in dead of night
President Donald Trump's ' One Big, Beautiful Bill ' passed in the House Rules Committee after an aggressive pressure campaign by the president. The vote came after the committee spent more than 24 hours of deliberation. Conservatives and Republicans from swing districts expressed their strong objections to the bill. Conservatives wanted steeper cuts and changes to Medicaid, while Republicans from states with Democratic governments wanted to restore a tax deduction. The Rules Committee convened at 1:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning, where members voted on numerous amendments to the legislation. But Reps. Chip Roy of Texas and Ralph Norman of South Carolina of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus voiced their frustrations that the bill did not go far enough on spending cuts, despite the fact they won a major concession in moving up work requirements for Medicaid. The objections led to a last-minute meeting at the White House with Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and members of the Freedom Caucus. The machinations of Johnson and Trump to pressure conservatives showed the urgency to pass the president's signature piece of legislation. Despite a late-night deal struck between Johnson and Democrats in states like New York, the amendment detailing the changes was not made available to the public for much of the hearing. On Tuesday morning, Trump visited the Capitol to make the case for the passage of the bill. Trump insisted that the legislation would not make sweeping changes to Medicaid, the program meant for poor people, pregnant women, children and people with disabilities, as well as many elderly in nursing homes. 'We're not doing any cutting of anything meaningful,' he insisted on Tuesday morning. 'The only thing we're cutting is waste, fraud, and abuse. With Medicaid – waste, fraud, and abuse. There's tremendous waste, fraud, and abuse.' But an estimate from the Congressional Budget Office found that if Congress passed all the changes put in place during the mark-ups in committee, 7.6 million people could lose their Medicaid coverage, and an additional 3.1 million could lose coverage they receive through the 2010 health-care law, also known as the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare. Democrats for their part criticized the rushed process. 'it's clear that they know that gutting Medicaid is horrible for the country,' New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told The Independent. 'For Republicans, Democrats, Independents alike. But they are laser-focused on giving these tax breaks to billionaires and cutting Medicaid.' Rep. Jim McGovern, the top Democrat on the Rules Committee, dismissed Trump's remarks about Medicaid. 'Maybe the president hasn't read the bill, but I would be surprised, I don't think he reads,' he told The Independent. Even some Republicans objected to holding the hearing at 1:00 AM. 'I don't think that's the right way to do business,' Roy told The Independent. The legislation would ramp up spending for the U.S. military, immigration enforcement along the U.S.-Mexico border and oil drilling. It would also extend the 2017 tax cuts that Trump signed into law. The late-night vote on the legislation is the second time in a week that Republicans have held a markup on the vote on the legislation. On Sunday evening, the House Budget Committee held a vote on the legislation at 10 p.m., which came after Roy and other members of the House Freedom Caucus objected to the bill the previous Friday. With only 220 seats, Republicans can only risk losing a handful of votes. Senate Republicans, who only have 53 seats, plan to pass the legislation under reconciliation, a process with strict rules that allows for a bill to avoid a filibuster as long as it relates to the budget. Republicans in the House hope to pass the bill before the Memorial Day weekend. But the legislation still faces significant hurdles in the Senate, with many Republicans in the upper chamber pushing for significant changes.
Fox News
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
GOP holdouts unmoved by Trump's 'big, beautiful' trip to Capitol Hill
President Donald Trump's rallying speech to House Republicans Tuesday morning wasn't enough to convince some holdouts to unite behind his "big, beautiful bill" ahead of a planned vote this week. Trump urged Republicans to cease infighting on Medicaid reform and state and local tax (SALT) deduction caps at the House GOP's weekly conference meeting. Several Republicans who emerged said they were still concerned enough to oppose the bill, however. House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris, Rep. Eric Burlison of Missouri, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and representatives Nick LaLota, Mike Lawler and Andrew Garbino of New York told Fox News Digital Tuesday they would vote against the bill if changes were not made. On the other hand, Trump did persuade some people. Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, one of several Republicans to sink a committee vote on the bill Friday, told reporters he would review it and make a "judgment call" ahead of a 1 a.m. meeting to advance the bill through the House Rules Committee. Norman said Trump did a "fantastic job" and delivered "one of the best speeches I've heard" at the House GOP meeting, and he urged his blue state colleagues to "take the words the president said to heart about SALT." Norman and Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, are both members of the powerful rules panel who have not been shy about their concerns with the current bill. The committee acts as the final gatekeeper before most legislation sees a full House vote. Roy did not appear to attend Trump's speech but told reporters Monday evening the 1 a.m. Wednesday vote should be postponed. But the New York Republicans weren't budging after Trump's "big, beautiful" speech, maintaining the bill doesn't go far enough to deliver for middle-class New Yorkers on the SALT deduction cap. "This is the single biggest issue that I've talked about, and, with all due respect to the president, I'm not budging," Lawler said. "Between property taxes and income taxes, it blows well past the $30,000 cap with the $400,000 income cap. So, as I've said repeatedly, that is insufficient. We will continue the dialogue with leadership, but as it stands right now, I do not support the bill," Lawler said. Lawler said SALT is one of the biggest issues affecting his district in New York and campaigned on never supporting a tax bill that doesn't "adequately lift the cap." "The president can say whatever he wants, and I respect him, but the fact is, I certainly understand my district. I'm one of only three Republican members that won in a district Kamala Harris won, and I did so for reasons," Lawler said. "We need a little more SALT on the table to get to this," fellow New York Republican LaLota added. "I hope the president's presence motivates my leadership to give us a number that we can go sell back home." LaLota said while he is still a "no," he hopes "the president's presence here today motivates some folks in the Ways and Means Committee and my leadership to give us a number to which we can actually say 'yes.'" When asked if Trump did enough to ease concerns in Tuesday's meeting, Garbarino, another New York Republican, said, "No. There were no specifics. … It was more of a rally. We need to get this done." "We share President Trump's call for unity within the House Republican Conference," Rep. Young Kim, R-Calif., said in a joint statement after Trump's visit to Capitol Hill. "We hope his remarks today motivate the Speaker to advance a SALT proposal that delivers meaningful relief for our middle-class constituents, as we have worked in good faith with House Leadership for more than a year," the statement from Kim, Garbarino, Lawler, LaLota and Rep. Tom Kean, R-N.J., said. Meanwhile, Trump urged Republicans not to "f--- with" Medicaid in his speech, though different factions came to different conclusions about what he meant. Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee, who was not in the room for Trump's speech, called for more cuts to the entitlement program in an X post Tuesday afternoon but told Fox News Digital he was opposed to the legislation as written. "I agree with President Trump — we must crush the waste, fraud, and abuse. Liberal states like California and New York are abusing Medicaid — and making you pay for it. Illegal aliens and freeloaders have no right to taxpayer-funded benefits," Ogles said on X. Other fiscal conservatives, like Ogles, who were in the room, said the bill does not go far enough to reform Medicaid and would also vote "no" in the bill's current form. "I think it's inappropriate for us to say we're not going to touch it and then leave all of this fraud that's happening in the system," Burlison said. Harris, the House Freedom Caucus chair, said, "I can't support the bill. It does not eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in Medicaid. The president called for waste, fraud and abuse to be eliminated. I don't think that's where the bill sits." Massie, known for being a libertarian, was unconvinced by Trump's appearance, telling reporters that his constituents didn't "vote for increased deficits and Biden-level spending." He acknowledged that younger members or those who harbor ambitions for higher office would likely fall in line, however. "I think he probably closed the deal in there," Massie said. SALT deduction caps and Medicaid remain two of the biggest sticking points in Republican negotiations. SALT deduction caps primarily benefit people living in high-cost-of-living areas like New York City, Los Angeles and their surrounding suburbs. Republicans representing those areas have argued that raising the SALT deduction cap is a critical issue and that a failure to address it could cost the GOP the House majority in the 2026 midterms. Republicans in redder, lower-tax areas have said in response that SALT deductions favor wealthy people living in Democrat-controlled states and that such deductions reward progressive high-tax policies. It was Trump's Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 that first instituted caps on SALT deductions, setting the maximum at $10,000 for both married couples and single filers. SALT Caucus members have rejected House Republican leaders' offer to increase that to $30,000. Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, meanwhile, are pushing for the bill to be more aggressive in cutting waste, fraud and abuse in the Medicaid system, including a faster timeline for implementing work requirements for able-bodied recipients. Currently, the legislation has work requirements kicking in 2029. They also want to restructure Medicaid cost-sharing to put a bigger burden on the states. Moderates, meanwhile, have been wary of making significant cuts to the program. House GOP leaders are hoping to hold a full House vote on the bill this week.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Republicans advance Trump's ‘big, beautiful bill' in unusual late-night vote
Republican deficit hawks allowed President Trump's bill of legislative priorities to advance out of the House Budget Committee in an unusual late-night vote on Sunday, marking a key hurdle cleared for House GOP leaders and a sign of progress for warring Republican factions After gaveling in after 10 p.m. on Sunday, the committee voted 17-16 to advance the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act,' which would extend Trump's tax cuts and boost his border funding priorities while reforming Medicaid and food assistance programs. The four Republican holdouts who had tanked the vote on Friday — Reps. Ralph Norman (S.C.), Chip Roy (Texas), Andrew Clyde (Ga.), and Josh Brecheen (Okla.) — voted present to allow the bill to go forward, with Roy revealing that there was progress on moving up the start date for new Medicaid work requirements and speeding up the phase-out of green energy incentives. In a sign of the high-stakes nature of the vote, the Speaker as well as White House Legislative Affairs Director James Braid made appearances off a room to the side of the late night Budget Committee affair. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said they are counting the vote 'as a big win tonight.' 'There's a lot more work to do, we've always acknowledged that towards the end there will be more details to iron out, we have several more to take care of,' Johnson said. 'But I'm looking forward to very thoughtful discussions, very productive discussions over the next few days, and I am absolutely convinced we're going to get this in final form and pass it in accordance with our original deadline, and that was to do it before Memorial Day.' 'So this will be a victory out of committee tonight, everybody will make a vote that allows us to proceed and that was my big request tonight.' The next stop is the House Rules Committee, which is set to take up the legislation later this week and make last-minute changes to the bill to reflect any compromises and demands between deficit hawks and moderates in high-tax states. Despite the victory for leadership, the conservatives indicated they still have more work to do. Roy said that while he voted present 'out of respect for the Republican Conference and the President,' the bill 'does not yet meet the moment.' He said the revamped measure would 'move Medicaid work requirements forward and reduces the availability of future subsidies under the green new scam.' But, in a statement on X, he objected to provisions around green energy tax credits and Medicaid. 'This all ultimately increases the likelihood of continuing deficits and non-Obamacare-expansion states like Texas expanding in the future. We can and must do better before we pass the final product,' he wrote, alluding to wanting even more controversial Medicaid reforms like reining in the provider tax mechanism that allows states to extract more federal Medicaid matching dollars. Norman also indicated he was looking for changes. 'We had some great changes, got a lot more work to do. We're excited about what we did, we wanted to move the bill forward and it went like I thought,' he said. We've been downgraded three times, we have problems with the money in this country, the debt, the FMAPs gotta be dealt with,' he said, referencing the share of Medicaid paid for by the federal government. Roy, who also sits on the Rules panel, would not commit to voting to advance the bill in that upcoming vote. He would not answer questions about whether Trump — who on Friday had pressed Republican 'GRANDSTANDERS' to 'STOP TALKING, AND GET IT DONE!' — had talked to him about the bill. The vote comes after four hardline conservatives on the committee tanked a vote on the legislation Friday, saying the cost-cutting measures in the bill did not go far enough. Those fiscal hawks had said new Medicaid work requirements on 'able-bodied' single adults and repeal of green energy incentives do not kick in soon enough, causing them to worry that the savings that are back-loaded on the overall 10-year cost of the package will not actually be realized. On the other end of the Republican conference, moderates in high-tax states are demanding an increase to the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap, currently written as $30,000 — a figure that amounts to three times the current level, but that moderates says is not acceptable to win their votes for the sprawling package. Making changes to appease those members will require tweaks to the bill elsewhere. While those changes are not fully ironed out, it was good enough for the holdouts to allow them to go forward. 'In an effort to move this bill forward, and I'm excited about the changes we've made, I vote present,' Norman said. Democrats on the other side of the room exclaimed: 'What changes?' Ranking member Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) made a number of inquiries on those 'side deals' being negotiated behind closed doors, saying that lawmakers and the public deserved to know what those are. Updated at 11:04 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
