House Republican Reportedly Informed Oblivious Trump That the ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Cuts Medicaid
AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.
During a meeting with congressional Republicans on Wednesday, President Donald Trump appeared unaware that the spending legislation he has been working to pass contains massive cuts to Medicaid.
Trump has long warned Republicans not to undercut Medicaid, the government program that provides healthcare coverage to lower-income Americans. However, the “big, beautiful bill” he has touted would cut Medicaid by $1 trillion and kick an estimated 11 million Americans off the program.
On Wednesday, NOTUS reported that Trump hosted several moderate GOP lawmakers to hear their concerns and tried to sell the legislators on the bill. At one point, the president reportedly demonstrated he does not know that the bill cuts Medicaid:
But Trump still doesn’t seem to have a firm grasp about what his signature legislative achievement does. According to three sources with direct knowledge of the comments, the president told Republicans at this meeting that there are three things Congress shouldn’t touch if they want to win elections: Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security.
“But we’re touching Medicaid in this bill,” one member responded to Trump, according to the three sources.
Asked for comment, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told NOTUS that President Trump’s reconciliation bill “takes decisive action to protect Medicaid for generations to come by eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in the program. President Trump is committed to protecting Medicaid for the vulnerable Americans who rely on it most.”
The measure is now being considered by the House after the Senate passed the legislation by a single vote this week. Republicans can only afford three defections in the House, where Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) has already said he will vote against it. Massie and members of the House Freedom Caucus have objected to the estimated $3.3 trillion the bill will add to the national debt over the next 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
On Wednesday, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) urged his Republican colleagues to “give up on our personal preferences” and back the legislation.
The bill would extend the 2017 tax cuts set to expire this year, slash Medicaid by $1 trillion, add $150 billion to the Department of Defense budget, and increase funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement from $10 billion to more than $100 billion, among other provisions.
