Washington, D.C. – After voting to slash nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid to fund tax breaks for the wealthy and large corporations, Republicans in Congress have doubled down on lies about their budget resolution. The Congressional Budget Office has exposed the truth, proving that GOP budget goals can not be reached without cutting Medicaid. Multiple polls, including one from Trump’s own pollster, have found Americans are opposed to any cuts to Medicaid. But make no mistake: Republicans are gaslighting the American people to try and avoid the backlash they know would follow.
In response, Protect Our Care President Brad Woodhouse issued the following statement:
“Republicans are gutless liars, trying to pull the wool over the eyes of their constituents. The so-called moderates have refused to stand up to Donald Trump on behalf of their constituents, leaving them high and dry. Instead, they have chosen to gaslight the American people, saying the cuts will only root out waste, fraud, and abuse, but we know the truth. There is no way to cut $880 billion from Medicaid without throwing millions of people off their health care. This means seniors will be thrown out of nursing homes, kids with disabilities won’t get the support they need, patients fighting cancer won’t be able to afford their treatment – the list goes on and on. When it comes to this budget vote, the only fraud I see is the Republican lawmakers trying to take life-saving health care away from their constituents in order to fund tax breaks for the wealthy and big corporations.”
Background
The Republican Budget Takes Health Care Away From Working People, Seniors, Veterans, And Children To Give Tax Breaks To The Rich. As the Georgetown Center for Children and Families found, Republicans’ math does not add up. The CBO confirmed that Republicans cannot make their proposed $880 billion in cuts without drastically cutting Medicaid and throwing millions of hardworking families off their coverage, closing rural hospitals, and kicking seniors out of nursing homes.
FACT CHECK: The House Budget Resolution Orders Nearly $1 Trillion In Targeted Cuts – Nearly All of Which Are “Expected To Come From Medicaid.” As KFF reported, “The House Energy & Commerce Committee (which has jurisdiction over Medicaid) is instructed to reduce the federal deficit by at least $880 billion over 10 years, with nearly all those cuts expected to come from Medicaid.”
Read some of the most egregious lies:
Ken Calvert (CA-41) released a statement denying that the cuts will impact Medicaid: “Let me be crystal clear – nothing approved by the House today changes any benefits for our safety net programs, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and veterans’ benefits.”
Rob Bresnahan (PA-08) published a statement claiming it was a lie that the budget cuts would gut Medicaid: “I voted today, as I did in February, to continue working toward a final federal budget that delivers for the people of Northeastern Pennsylvania…As I have said countless times, like President Trump, I won’t support a budget that guts Medicaid, and I have made that clear to House Republican leadership. There will be plenty of fake news reports and fearmongering, claiming that today’s vote guts Medicaid, which is patently false. This is a narrative spun up by professional liars who profit off people’s fears instead of offering real solutions. Shame on those who perpetuate this lie and on those who choose to cover this lie as truth.”
Andrew Garbarino (NY-02) claimed that the budget cuts will protect Medicaid: “This morning, I voted to pass the Budget Resolution. Let me be clear: the resolution did not make any funding cuts to specific programs. This was just the first step. Now, committees get to work determining the policy substance of the reconciliation package. This is how we secure SALT relief, protect Medicaid, and deliver on the promises made to the American people.”
Young Kim (CA-40) claimed the budget resolution is “Protecting & strengthening key programs like Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, & veterans’ care,” and, “gets us one step closer to getting our country back on the right track for future generations.”
Nick LaLota (NY-01) released a statement claiming that he was committed to protecting Medicaid despite voting for budget cuts: “Before this morning’s vote, the Speaker privately assured a few of my colleagues and me that ongoing discussions with the HFC hadn’t changed his commitment to protecting Medicaid. I was glad to hear him reaffirm that commitment publicly after the vote as well.” He later claimed that “Medicaid reforms in the One Big Beautiful Bill will be compassionate: removing illegals, adding work requirements for able-bodied adults, and eligibility checks every 6 months.”
Mike Lawler (NY-17) claimed back in February that people were “fear-mongering” about Medicaid cuts in the budget resolution: “And let’s clear something up: Some are fear-mongering about Medicaid cuts. Guess what? Medicaid isn’t even mentioned in this resolution. Not once.” Lawler voted for the resolution after promising his constituents in February and March that he would not vote to cut Medicaid.
David Valadao (CA-22) missed the vote but released a statement in support of the budget resolution. He also baselessly claimed: “I’m happy to hear @SpeakerJohnson remains committed to ensuring our hardworking families have access to Medicaid. As the budget process moves forward, I’ll continue advocating to strengthen critical programs for my constituents in the Central Valley,” and declared, “I’ll only support a final reconciliation bill that strengthens Medicaid, SNAP, and other critical programs that our Valley families rely on.”
Dan Newhouse (WA-04) claimed the Medicaid cuts were delivering for the American people: “Passing the budget resolution unlocks the next step in the reconciliation process allowing Congress to reduce federal spending, lower inflation, and advance a conservative agenda to get our country back on track. It will be no easy task, but Republicans must stay unified to deliver for the American people.”