Latest news with #OfficeofManagementandBudget
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
White House insists Medicaid policy won't cut people who deserve it
The White House plans to confront resistance to Medicaid cuts from Senate Republicans by arguing that any reductions in coverage would only affect people who didn't deserve it in the first place. A strong bloc of Republicans in the Senate has signaled that they are uncomfortable with Medicaid reductions in the sweeping tax-and-spending bill enacted last month by the House. President Donald Trump's advisers are determined to confront those concerns by claiming that cuts would chiefly target undocumented immigrants and able-bodied people who should not be on Medicaid, according to four administration officials and outside allies granted anonymity to discuss strategy. 'This bill will preserve and protect the programs, the social safety net, but it will make it much more common sense,' Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought said Sunday. 'That's what this bill does. No one will lose coverage as a result.' The megabill would add work requirements to the program and bar undocumented immigrants from getting coverage, among other attempts to tighten eligibility. Those provisions are projected to leave roughly 7.6 million low-income people without health care over the next decade — losses that would amount to hundreds of billions of dollars in cost savings for the program. Contrary to Trump officials' claims, such cuts are widely anticipated to go beyond immigrants and the narrow slice of able-bodied unemployed, according to health experts. The provisions would likely add new layers of paperwork for low-income enrollees, making it more difficult for qualified recipients to stay on the program and pushing otherwise-eligible Americans suddenly out of health coverage. In a POLITICO interview published Sunday, Trump Medicaid chief Mehmet Oz argued the changes would 'future proof' the program, also insisting that "we're not cutting Medicaid." 'There's a lot of sensitivity about being accused, accused of not taking care of people who have disabilities or seniors without money or children,' Oz said. Trump officials have aggressively pushed that stance in public and private in recent days, insisting that the administration's plan will shield 'deserving' Medicaid recipients like the elderly and disabled, while targeting those who officials have cast as a drain on the nation's safety net. Many of those people gained coverage over the last decade through Obamacare's expansion of Medicaid. Republicans have been stung before by their efforts to enact health care cuts, most notably facing massive voter blowback in 2017 that cratered Trump's bid to repeal Obamacare and contributed to widespread losses in the following midterms. But Trump officials and allies argue that voters will support these changes to Medicaid, seeing them less as cuts than tweaks meant to ensure resources go to those who truly need it. 'Medicaid does not belong to people who are here illegally, and it does not belong to capable and able-bodied men who refuse to work,' said one of the White House officials. 'So no one is getting cut.' In a statement, White House spokesman Kush Desai said Trump would "protect and preserve Medicaid" by "kicking illegal immigrants off of the program and implementing commonsense work requirements," adding that Americans voted for such policies. The strategy represents a stark messaging shift for a GOP that has long found itself on the defensive in debates over health coverage. And it's an attempt by the White House to mirror the approach Trump has taken on other issues like immigration and trade, casting aside political complexities in favor of portraying them as a simple choice between 'us' and 'them.' Trump has framed his mass deportation campaign as an effort to rid the country of millions of immigrants deemed undeserving of staying in the U.S. He's justified his tariffs as a counter to other countries 'ripping us off' on trade. 'Before, they were taking things away from people,' Thomas Miller, a senior fellow at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute, said of the health messaging shift. 'Now, they're saying they're not deserving.' In the Senate, Vought and White House legislative affairs chief James Braid have taken the lead in talks with Republican lawmakers, the White House official said. Trump has also dialed up a handful of senators over the last week, said another White House official granted anonymity to discuss internal strategy, ahead of a sprint in the Senate to pass its version of the megabill in a matter of weeks. The success of that effort could hinge on a handful of GOP senators who are skeptical of any Medicaid policies that could be interpreted as cuts, especially after the House added last-minute health care provisions into its bill that ballooned the predicted coverage losses. Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine have expressed reservations about Medicaid work requirements, while some others have warned more generally about the prospect of cutting the program. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), perhaps the most outspoken Republican on the issue, said Monday in a post on X that Trump had assured him 'NO MEDICAID BENEFIT CUTS' will be in the bill. But rather than change course on policy, Trump officials and other Hill Republicans have instead signaled a preference for winning votes by redefining what qualifies as a cut. In a midday missive on Monday, the White House touted its push to remove roughly 1.4 million undocumented immigrants as key to strengthening Medicaid benefits 'for whom the program was designed — pregnant women, children, people with disabilities, low-income seniors, and other vulnerable low-income families.' That strident approach has prompted blowback from patient advocates and health industry groups across the spectrum, and even bewildered some Republicans who questioned the wisdom of making any changes to a program as politically delicate as Medicaid, especially in the red states of Trump's base. 'The fact remains that a great many Trump voters are on Medicaid, particularly in rural areas,' said GOP pollster Whit Ayres, adding it's unclear whether voters will buy Republicans' assertion that some cuts shouldn't qualify as actual cuts.'If no one loses coverage, how are you going to cut $500 billion?' Still, Trump aides remain confident they can bring both the Senate and the broader public around to their view. Much of the Medicaid-cautious contingent in the Senate — including Hawley — have already said they're okay with work requirements, drawing the line instead at broader funding cuts that might directly impact health providers and state budgets. The White House in the meantime has salivated over a fight with Democrats over coverage for undocumented immigrants, viewing it as another politically advantageous front in its immigration offensive. As for work requirements, Republicans pointed to polling that has consistently shown most Americans support them in theory — even despite the warnings about how it's likely to play out. 'It's a simple, clear message to say we're only taking away coverage from people who are not working,' said Miller. 'You don't get down to the granular details of, what does that actually mean in practice?' Megan Messerly and Ben Leonard contributed to this report.
Politico
an hour ago
- Health
- Politico
White House insists Medicaid policy won't cut people who deserve it
The White House plans to confront resistance to Medicaid cuts from Senate Republicans by arguing that any reductions in coverage would only affect people who didn't deserve it in the first place. A strong bloc of Republicans in the Senate has signaled that they are uncomfortable with Medicaid reductions in the sweeping tax-and-spending bill enacted last month by the House. President Donald Trump's advisers are determined to confront those concerns by claiming that cuts would chiefly target undocumented immigrants and able-bodied people who should not be on Medicaid, according to four administration officials and outside allies granted anonymity to discuss strategy. 'This bill will preserve and protect the programs, the social safety net, but it will make it much more common sense,' Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought said Sunday. 'That's what this bill does. No one will lose coverage as a result.' The megabill would add work requirements to the program and bar undocumented immigrants from getting coverage, among other attempts to tighten eligibility. Those provisions are projected to leave roughly 7.6 million low-income people without health care over the next decade — losses that would amount to hundreds of billions of dollars in cost savings for the program. Contrary to Trump officials' claims, such cuts are widely anticipated to go beyond immigrants and the narrow slice of able-bodied unemployed, according to health experts. The provisions would likely add new layers of paperwork for low-income enrollees, making it more difficult for qualified recipients to stay on the program and pushing otherwise-eligible Americans suddenly out of health coverage. In a POLITICO interview published Sunday, Trump Medicaid chief Mehmet Oz argued the changes would 'future proof' the program, also insisting that 'we're not cutting Medicaid.' 'There's a lot of sensitivity about being accused, accused of not taking care of people who have disabilities or seniors without money or children,' Oz said. Trump officials have aggressively pushed that stance in public and private in recent days, insisting that the administration's plan will shield 'deserving' Medicaid recipients like the elderly and disabled, while targeting those who officials have cast as a drain on the nation's safety net. Many of those people gained coverage over the last decade through Obamacare's expansion of Medicaid. Republicans have been stung before by their efforts to enact health care cuts, most notably facing massive voter blowback in 2017 that cratered Trump's bid to repeal Obamacare and contributed to widespread losses in the following midterms. But Trump officials and allies argue that voters will support these changes to Medicaid, seeing them less as cuts than tweaks meant to ensure resources go to those who truly need it. 'Medicaid does not belong to people who are here illegally, and it does not belong to capable and able-bodied men who refuse to work,' said one of the White House officials. 'So no one is getting cut.' In a statement, White House spokesman Kush Desai said Trump would 'protect and preserve Medicaid' by 'kicking illegal immigrants off of the program and implementing commonsense work requirements,' adding that Americans voted for such policies. The strategy represents a stark messaging shift for a GOP that has long found itself on the defensive in debates over health coverage. And it's an attempt by the White House to mirror the approach Trump has taken on other issues like immigration and trade, casting aside political complexities in favor of portraying them as a simple choice between 'us' and 'them.' Trump has framed his mass deportation campaign as an effort to rid the country of millions of immigrants deemed undeserving of staying in the U.S. He's justified his tariffs as a counter to other countries 'ripping us off' on trade. 'Before, they were taking things away from people,' Thomas Miller, a senior fellow at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute, said of the health messaging shift. 'Now, they're saying they're not deserving.' In the Senate, Vought and White House legislative affairs chief James Braid have taken the lead in talks with Republican lawmakers, the White House official said. Trump has also dialed up a handful of senators over the last week, said another White House official granted anonymity to discuss internal strategy, ahead of a sprint in the Senate to pass its version of the megabill in a matter of weeks. The success of that effort could hinge on a handful of GOP senators who are skeptical of any Medicaid policies that could be interpreted as cuts, especially after the House added last-minute health care provisions into its bill that ballooned the predicted coverage losses. Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine have expressed reservations about Medicaid work requirements, while some others have warned more generally about the prospect of cutting the program. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), perhaps the most outspoken Republican on the issue, said Monday in a post on X that Trump had assured him 'NO MEDICAID BENEFIT CUTS' will be in the bill. But rather than change course on policy, Trump officials and other Hill Republicans have instead signaled a preference for winning votes by redefining what qualifies as a cut. In a midday missive on Monday, the White House touted its push to remove roughly 1.4 million undocumented immigrants as key to strengthening Medicaid benefits 'for whom the program was designed — pregnant women, children, people with disabilities, low-income seniors, and other vulnerable low-income families.' That strident approach has prompted blowback from patient advocates and health industry groups across the spectrum, and even bewildered some Republicans who questioned the wisdom of making any changes to a program as politically delicate as Medicaid, especially in the red states of Trump's base. 'The fact remains that a great many Trump voters are on Medicaid, particularly in rural areas,' said GOP pollster Whit Ayres, adding it's unclear whether voters will buy Republicans' assertion that some cuts shouldn't qualify as actual cuts.'If no one loses coverage, how are you going to cut $500 billion?' Still, Trump aides remain confident they can bring both the Senate and the broader public around to their view. Much of the Medicaid-cautious contingent in the Senate — including Hawley — have already said they're okay with work requirements, drawing the line instead at broader funding cuts that might directly impact health providers and state budgets. The White House in the meantime has salivated over a fight with Democrats over coverage for undocumented immigrants, viewing it as another politically advantageous front in its immigration offensive. As for work requirements, Republicans pointed to polling that has consistently shown most Americans support them in theory — even despite the warnings about how it's likely to play out. 'It's a simple, clear message to say we're only taking away coverage from people who are not working,' said Miller. 'You don't get down to the granular details of, what does that actually mean in practice?' Megan Messerly and Ben Leonard contributed to this report.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Democrats hammer Vought over Medicaid claims: ‘Outrageous lies'
Democratic lawmakers are admonishing President Trump's budget chief for claiming the GOP's mega-bill will not cause anyone to lose Medicaid benefits, contradicting independent assessments that war billions could lose coverage if it becomes law. Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought told CNN's Dana Bash on Sunday's episode of 'State of the Union' that concerns over the Trump administration's domestic policy package are 'ridiculous.' 'This bill will preserve and protect the programs, the social safety net, but it will make it much more common sense,' he said. 'No one will lose coverage as a result of this bill.' Democratic lawmakers took to social media to push back against Vought, with some including U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown (D-Ohio), calling his comments lies. 'Outrageous lies. In Ohio alone, the state has said 770,000 people will lose coverage,' Brown wrote Sunday above a repost of Vought's CNN interview on the social platform X. 'The White House is lying to you,' Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa) wrote in a post to X on Monday. 'At least 13.7 million Americans will lose their health care, according to the official non-partisan score keepers.' Trump's sweeping domestic policy bill — the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — would cut taxes and increase border and military spending. The bill, which narrowly passed in the House in May, would reduce federal spending on Medicaid by at least $600 billion over 10 years and cut enrollment in the program by about 10.3 million people, according to a preliminary estimate from the Congressional Budget Office. Several GOP senators are expressing concern about the cuts, pointing to a fight with deficit hawks that could pose major hurdles to Trump's signature legislation. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins and Josh Hawley have opposed cuts to the health insurance program, though it's unclear where they will draw the line. Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn) suggested that Vought double check is math before speaking about the consequences of the bill. 'Math is hard…but Google is free,' Smith wrote in a post to X above a screenshot of a paragraph from the Congressional Budget Office's analysis of the bill's resulting Medicaid cuts, which was placed above a clip of Vought's CNN interview. Meanwhile, Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) posted a lengthy takedown of Vought's comments. 'The Republican budget bill 'preserved and protects' social safety net programs,' she said in a 14-post thread. 'A blatant lie as I'm unaware of how cutting over a trillion dollars and kicking millions of Americans off health care is 'preserving and protecting' this program.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
4 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Democrats hammer Vought over Medicaid claims: ‘Outrageous lies'
Democratic lawmakers are admonishing President Trump's budget chief for claiming the GOP's mega-bill will not cause anyone to lose Medicaid benefits, contradicting independent assessments that war billions could lose coverage if it becomes law. Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought told CNN's Dana Bash on Sunday's episode of 'State of the Union' that concerns over the Trump administration's domestic policy package are 'ridiculous.' 'This bill will preserve and protect the programs, the social safety net, but it will make it much more common sense,' he said. 'No one will lose coverage as a result of this bill.' Democratic lawmakers took to social media to push back against Vought, with some including U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown (D-Ohio), calling his comments lies. 'Outrageous lies. In Ohio alone, the state has said 770,000 people will lose coverage,' Brown wrote Sunday above a repost of Vought's CNN interview on the social platform X. 'The White House is lying to you,' Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa) wrote in a post to X on Monday. 'At least 13.7 million Americans will lose their health care, according to the official non-partisan score keepers.' Trump's sweeping domestic policy bill — the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — would cut taxes and increase border and military spending. The bill, which narrowly passed in the House in May, would reduce federal spending on Medicaid by at least $600 billion over 10 years and cut enrollment in the program by about 10.3 million people, according to a preliminary estimate from the Congressional Budget Office. Several GOP senators are expressing concern about the cuts, pointing to a fight with deficit hawks that could pose major hurdles to Trump's signature legislation. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins and Josh Hawley have opposed cuts to the health insurance program, though it's unclear where they will draw the line. Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn) suggested that Vought double check is math before speaking about the consequences of the bill. 'Math is hard…but Google is free,' Smith wrote in a post to X above a screenshot of a paragraph from the Congressional Budget Office's analysis of the bill's resulting Medicaid cuts, which was placed above a clip of Vought's CNN interview. Meanwhile, Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) posted a lengthy takedown of Vought's comments. 'The Republican budget bill 'preserved and protects' social safety net programs,' she said in a 14-post thread. 'A blatant lie as I'm unaware of how cutting over a trillion dollars and kicking millions of Americans off health care is 'preserving and protecting' this program.'
Time of India
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Under Trump's 'big beautiful bill', 15 million Americans to lose their health care coverage? Check details
Donald Trump's 'Big Beautiful bill' will now advance to the Senate. While Republicans defend Medicaid cuts for tax breaks, Trump claimed no meaningful cuts, but reports project millions losing coverage. Speaker Mike Johnson has come out in defence of the bill and insisted work requirements won't cause loss of coverage unless people choose. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Trump says 'no meaningful cuts' made Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Speaker Mike Johnson on Medicaid cuts Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads As President Donald Trump's so-called 'big, beautiful bill' advances to the Senate, Republicans are working hard to convince voters that slashing Medicaid and other social safety net programs is a necessary trade-off for delivering major tax breaks to the wealthy. The effort has been marked by misleading claims and outright falsehoods aimed at downplaying the bill's real the current reconciliation bill, an estimated 15 million Americans are projected to lose their health care coverage by 2034. This rollback would result primarily from stricter Medicaid eligibility requirements, changes to Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace policies, and the expiration of tax credits that help people afford ACA plans, reports these facts, Trump has claimed that 'no meaningful cuts' are being made. 'The only thing we're cutting is waste, fraud, and abuse,' he told reporters, specifically referring to Medicaid. Echoing this sentiment, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought asserted in a CNN interview that 'no one will lose coverage' because of the bill, dismissing criticism as 'astroturfed' opposition. He insisted the legislation would 'preserve and protect the social safety net.'In reality, the bill proposes at least $600 billion in Medicaid cuts over the next decade, Rolling Stone reports. What GOP leaders describe as targeting 'waste, fraud, and abuse' mostly consists of bureaucratic barriers designed to complicate enrollment and reduce participation—particularly among vulnerable US Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) doubled down on his claim that there won't be Medicaid cuts in President Trump's 'big, beautiful bill,' despite projections that millions of low-income individuals would lose health insurance as a result of the during an appearance on NBC's 'Meet the Press,' pushed back on independent projections that the bill would lead to 4.8 million people who would lose coverage because of work requirements, saying they won't lose it 'unless they choose to do so.''Those 4.8 million people will not lose their Medicaid unless they choose to do so,' he told host Kristen Welker.'You're telling me that you're going to require the able-bodied — these young men, for example, OK — to only work or volunteer in their community for 20 hours a week, and that's too cumbersome for them? I'm not buying it. The American people are not buying it.'He added that the people who are complaining about losing their coverage are doing so 'because they can't fulfill the paperwork,' noting that the policy follows 'common sense.''When people work, when able-bodied young men work, it's good for them, for their dignity, their purpose, and it's good for the community,' he said. 'If you can't find a job, then volunteer in your community for 20 hours, and you will meet the requirement.'Johnson said that the bill 'strengthens' Medicaid and said what Republicans are doing is 'an important and frankly heroic thing.''It's intended for young, you know, single, pregnant women and the disabled and the elderly,' he said. 'But what's happening right now is you have a lot of people, for example, young men, able-bodied workers, who are on Medicaid. They're not working when they can.'The proposed Medicaid and health care reforms would require states to implement work requirements for childless adults aged 19 to 64 to qualify for Medicaid. Additionally, the plan seeks to shorten the Affordable Care Act's open enrollment period, along with other changes. These reforms are central to the bill developed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which was charged with identifying over $800 billion in savings over the next decade. According to the Congressional Budget Office, these GOP measures are projected to save $625 billion within 10 the bill is facing resistance from Republican lawmakers, who are encountering criticism during their town hall meetings.
