Congressional Democrats hold a rally and press conference to announce their opposition to a Republican plan to cut Medicaid, on Capitol Hill, May 13, 2025. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
MEDICAID BECOMES FLASHPOINT IN HOUSE DEBATE OVER TRUMP BUDGET BILL
"President Trump is protecting Medicaid for every eligible American who relies on it by eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse within this program," White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a Tuesday statement to Fox News Digital. "By taking commonsense measures to strengthen Medicaid, we will ultimately improve care for those who this program is intended to serve: pregnant women, the disabled, seniors, and low-income families."
"The President has repeatedly said that he will save Medicaid to ensure it remains a reliable and sustainable lifeline for generations to come," Desai said.
A series of calculations from the CBO have recently emerged evaluating multiple different Medicaid proposals – further pitting Republicans and Democrats against one another on Medicaid reform.
The first new analysis, commissioned by Democrats and released Thursday, failed to examine the exact proposals Republicans are considering and instead, took a shot in the dark at what Republicans might introduce, according to experts.
That’s because Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., requested the CBO evaluate various policies that Republicans could have suggested. However, most of the policies analyzed are not identical to the ones that Republicans have actually put forward, experts said.
SENIOR HOUSE REPUBLICAN EVISERATES DEMS FOR ‘FEAR CAMPAIGN’ AGAINST TRUMP'S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’
Rep. Frank Pallone (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press)
Additionally, Cannon pushed back against accusations that any of the proposals would actually cut Medicaid funding. While federal Medicaid spending is set to increase by 4.5% annually, the proposals CBO evaluated would simply curb that growth to at least 3% annually.
But ultimately, Cannon said the report is a mechanism Democrats are using to ignite fears among Republicans as they seek a legislative victory of their own.
"Democrats want to beat up Republicans, of course they do," Cannon said. "They want to win elections, and they think if they can scare people, they can do it… they don't want Republicans to get a political win, like tax cuts, and so this is their best weapon to stop tax cuts. They’re making the most of it, so that's what's going on with that CBO score."
The tension between Republicans and Democrats over Medicaid funding stems from a larger battle over Trump’s budget package that is making its way through Congress.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is seeking to get the measure over the finish line in the House by Memorial Day.
Meanwhile, the House Energy and Commerce Committee unveiled a portion of the measure Sunday that tackled Medicaid, as the panel follows through on requests to find $880 billion in spending cuts to foot the bill for other Trump priorities.
Specifically, the committee’s proposal put forth policy initiatives, including a new 80-hour-per-month work requirement on certain able-bodied adults between the ages of 19 and 64 that receive Medicaid.
The measure also puts limits on how much states spend on expanded Medicaid populations established through the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which permitted states to increase their Medicaid coverage to those who make up 138% of the poverty level.
Likewise, states that issue Medicaid coverage to illegal immigrants are in jeopardy of reduced federal Medicaid reimbursement funding under the measure. That would require the state to pick up additional costs.
Speaker Mike Johnson is seeking to get the measure over the finish line in the House by Memorial Day. (J. Scott Applewhite/The Associated Press)
Still, Democrats claimed that the effort would seize healthcare coverage from "millions of Americans."
"This is not trimming fat from around the edges, it’s cutting to the bone," Pallone said in a statement Sunday night. "The overwhelming majority of the savings in this bill will come from taking healthcare away from millions of Americans. Nowhere in the bill are they cutting ‘waste, fraud, and abuse’ – they’re cutting people’s healthcare and using that money to give tax breaks to billionaires."
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House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., said Democrats are attempting to "scare" Americans.
"Democrats are pedaling incorrect reports that include policies that aren’t even in the bill," Guthrie told Fox News Digital Monday.
Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House.
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