Speaker of the House Mike Johnson says that President Donald Trump and Republicans will not cut Social Security, Medicaid or Medicare despite potential cuts to the programs being floated amid a budget battle in Congress.
Newsweek reached out for comment to the White House via email on Wednesday night.
Why It Matters
Under Johnson’s leadership, the Republican-controlled House narrowly passed a budget blueprint on Tuesday night that calls for massive cuts in government spending using the reconciliation process, which allows the Senate to sidestep filibusters and pass bills with a simple majority.
But Republicans in the closely divided Senate have already indicated that they may not support Johnson’s version of the budget, due in part to concerns that the legislation could seriously impact popular social programs like Medicaid.
While the House blueprint does not specifically mention Medicaid, it instructs the Energy and Commerce Committee—which has jurisdiction over the program—to make at least $880 billion in cuts.
What To Know
During an interview with CNN‘s Kaitlan Collins on Wednesday night, Johnson confirmed that he had met with Trump and Senate Majority Leader John Thune to discuss plans for the budget reconciliation bill.
Johnson predicted that the Senate would allow the House to “lead” on the budget despite concerns over denting Medicaid. He went on to say that Republicans and Trump, who campaigned last year on a promise to leave the program intact, would instead support only eliminating “the fraud, waste and abuse out of Medicaid.”
“We’re not gonna do that,” Johnson said, referring to cutting Medicaid benefits. “The Democrats have been lying about it, and so it’s important for us to clarify that.”
“We’re gonna take care of those who are rightful beneficiaries of the program,” he added. “We’re gonna cut the fraud, waste and abuse out of Medicaid and that’s where we’re gonna get part of the savings to accomplish this mission.”
When asked whether cutting “fraud, waste and abuse” would lead to current Medicaid recipients losing their coverage, Johnson insisted that a “commitment” had been made that Republicans would not “touch” the social programs.
“The White House has made a commitment, the president has said over and over and over, ‘We’re not gonna touch Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid,’” Johnson said. “We’ve made the same commitment. Now, that said, what we are gonna do is go into those programs and carve out the fraud, waste and abuse and find efficiencies.”
Johnson went on to suggest that “able-bodied workers” would be cut from Medicaid under the new GOP budget.
“I challenge anybody … do a word search for ‘Medicaid’ on this resolution we passed last night,” Johnson said. “You will not find it. That is not part of this equation. We’re talking about finding efficiencies in every program, but not cutting benefits for people who rightly deserve that.”
“You don’t want able-bodied workers on a program that is intended, for example, for single mothers with two small children,” he continued. “That’s what Medicaid is for. Not for 29-year-old males sitting on their couches playing video games. We’re gonna find those guys and we’re gonna send them back to work.”
What People Are Saying
Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, in a post to X, formerly Twitter: “Republicans’ budget has a fundamental math problem. An $880 billion cut is an attack on Medicaid, not ‘waste,’ ‘fraud,’ and ‘abuse.’ Let’s be clear—anyone who votes for this budget is voting to cut Medicaid.”
David Karol, associate professor at the University of Maryland, in previous comments to Newsweek: “There is no way to balance the budget strictly on the spending side without massive cuts to programs that would be hugely unpopular, even with many Trump voters. Voters in very red states have approved ballot measures expanding Medicaid coverage, for example.
So Republicans will ultimately have to choose between incompatible promises. Traditionally, the defense of entitlement programs has been a very strong issue for Democrats, so this is a perilous choice for the GOP.”
What Happens Next
The final version of the budget resolution will not take shape until the Senate passes its own budget blueprint by a simple-majority vote. Changes to Medicaid and other social programs are likely to continue to be a key topic of debate.
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