‘We’re All Going to Die’: GOP Fumbles Defense of Medicaid Cuts
- President Donald Trump's push for sweeping tax cuts and spending reductions faces growing resistance, even from within his own party.Republicans on Capitol Hill are expressing frustration over the...
- Joni Ernst,R-Iowa,responded to concerns about Medicaid cuts leading to increased deaths with dark humor,while House Speaker Mike Johnson has repeated disputed claims about the bill's impact,asserting that cuts...
- The proposed Medicaid cuts, estimated at over $600 billion over a decade, are a significant point of contention.
GOP Infighting Threatens Trump’s Tax Cut, Spending Reduction Push
Updated June 03, 2025
President Donald Trump’s push for sweeping tax cuts and spending reductions faces growing resistance, even from within his own party.Republicans on Capitol Hill are expressing frustration over the lack of consensus on the aspiring agenda, notably regarding proposed Medicaid cuts.
Sen. Joni Ernst,R-Iowa,responded to concerns about Medicaid cuts leading to increased deaths with dark humor,while House Speaker Mike Johnson has repeated disputed claims about the bill’s impact,asserting that cuts primarily target undocumented migrants and reduce the deficit. However, the Congressional Budget office estimates the House version of the bill would remove about 10 million people from Medicaid coverage.
The proposed Medicaid cuts, estimated at over $600 billion over a decade, are a significant point of contention. A key provision requiring Medicaid recipients to prove they are working is viewed by some as bureaucratic and likely to disproportionately affect low-income individuals already struggling to access healthcare. This debate highlights the challenges of achieving Republican unity on fiscal policy and healthcare reform.
Some Republicans,like Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Mike Lee, R-Utah, argue the bill doesn’t cut enough, while others, including Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-alaska, have expressed concerns about the impact of the proposed Medicaid cuts. Sen. John Hawley, R-Mo., said Trump assured him Medicaid benefits would not be cut, contradicting the house bill’s provisions.
“We’re not cutting Medicaid,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., despite evidence to the contrary.
What’s next
Senate Majority Leader John Thune aims to pass the “big lovely bill” by July 4,but the House version faces significant hurdles in the senate. With a narrow majority, Thune can only afford to lose a few Republican votes, and several senators have already voiced opposition or demanded revisions.