House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (DN.Y.) chased Republicans over Medicaid design on Thursday, saying GOP leaders were deceiving Americans by insisting that they would not lose health benefits under the plan.
“Republicans are lying to the American people about Medicaid,” Jeffries said during a press conference at the Capitol.
Medicaid has emerged as perhaps the most controversial part of the House Republicans' large budget blueprint to move to President Trump's first year in office. Under the GOP resolution, the Energy and Commerce Committee, which governs Medicaid, is tasked with cutting at least $880 billion in cuts to the program to offset trillions of dollars in costs with Republican tax cuts.
Behind speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), the GOP leader argued that it could reach the $880 billion mark by excluding waste, fraud and abuse under Medicaid, applying new work requirements to some adult beneficiaries.
“Everyone is committed to preserving [Medicaid] Johnson told reporters this week. “What we're talking about is eradicating fraud, waste and abuse.”
House majority leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) was even more stubborn, waving a copy of the Republican budget resolution to challenge Democrats to find evidence of Medicaid reductions that are not documented.
“Instead of just sitting down and licking that they're not in full contact with the American people, their only choice is to resort to lying about what this vote is,” Scullyse said.
“This bill does not have Medicaid. This bill does not have Medicaid cuts.”
The Democrats refused the argument because they were out of hand. While acknowledging that there is no specific reference to Medicaid on the 45-page budget invoice, they argue that the Energy and Commerce Commission is not adequately overseeing spending on other programs to find $880 billion without a deep cut in Medicaid.
“If the Energy and Commerce committee says they don't want to cut Medicaid, they will instead cut everything else that is 100% likely.
“So, by definition, they need to at least cut hundreds of millions of dollars out of Medicaid.”
That message lies at the heart of the Democrats' countermethod strategy to fight to stop Trump's “one big beautiful bill” strategy from becoming law. As a minority party in both rooms, Democrats cannot sink the law on their own. But they hope to stir up enough public outrage over the reduced spending of vulnerable Republicans in the Purple District to vote for them.
Jeffries is leading that messaging fee.
“Everyone has had any connection to Congressional budgets and knows that if you're instructing the Energy and Commerce Committee to find up to $880 billion, then spending cuts means Medicaid,” he said Thursday. “It hurts children, hurts families, hurts everyday Americans with disabilities, hurts the elderly.
“I can't say it otherwise. Republicans are lying,” he added. “Prove me wrong.”
