Meanwhile, Most Republicans Voted Against the Omnibus Bill that Actually Halted Medicare Cuts
Washington DC — Today, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) released ads targeting Senate Democrats with lies alleging Democrats want to make cuts to Medicare. The NRSC ads falsely claim that Joe Biden and Democrats in the Senate wanted to slash $36 billion in Medicare funds. The truth is that the December 2022 omnibus spending package prevented these cuts and rolled back scheduled Medicare payment cuts to physicians. Most Senate Republicans and all but nine House Republicans voted against this bill. Meanwhile, Republicans in the House and the Senate have repeatedly proposed serious cuts to Medicare. In response, Protect Our Care Leslie Dach issued the following statement:
“The GOP record on Medicare is so atrocious and unpopular, it’s no surprise that they’re once again resorting to spreading lies. This new ad campaign is attempting to scare seniors with false claims about President Biden and Democrats slashing Medicare when in reality most Republicans in Congress voted against the bill that prevented these cuts. Republicans may want to rewrite history for their political benefit but it’s no secret that Republicans are putting Medicare on the chopping block. Over the last several months alone, Republicans have repeatedly proposed serious cuts to Medicare, which would rip away basic benefits seniors have worked their whole lives to earn.”
BACKGROUND:
Republicans Are Lying About Democrats Cutting Medicare
- Republicans are claiming falsely that pandemic relief will lead to cuts in Medicare due to a law called PAYGO
- In fact, the 2022 omnibus spending package halted these automatic PAYGO cuts for Medicare
- The 2022 omnibus also rolled back Medicare payment cuts for physicians, meaning the entire basis for the Republican argument is false
Nearly Every Republican Voted Against Protecting Medicare
- All but nine House Republicans voted against the omnibus bill protecting Medicare from spending cuts as the PHE ended
- More than half of Republican Senators also voted against the 2022 omnibus bill, while every single Democrat voted for it
Republicans Continue to Push to Cuts to Medicare
- The Republican Study Committee, representing over 160 Republicans in Congress, has advocated for Medicare cuts as recently as November of 2022 during omnibus negotiations.
- Republican leaders and recognizable faces like Rick Scott, Mike Pence, Mike Lee, Lindsey Graham, Ron Johnson, and Marco Rubio have all called for cuts to Medicare programs
- In January of 2023, 12 elected Republicans, from Buddy Carter to Brett Guthrie called for cuts to Medicare during debt ceiling negotiations with Barry Loudermilk claiming that “everything was on the table” when it came to cuts
- While Rick Scott wants to pretend sunsetting Medicare won’t lead to cuts, likening it to military spending, Representative Todd Emmer has said the quiet part out loud that “Republicans will not impact defense spending aside from efficiencies and waste. It’s the domestic spending that we’re going to go after.”