Republicans say they don’t want to cut Medicaid — after voting to do just that
When the House passed President Donald Trump's signature budget legislation known as "the big, beautiful bill," just two Republicans voted in opposition. But after supporting the measure that included cuts to Medicaid, several moderate Republicans now say they don't want to so again.
NOTUS spoke with several lawmakers Tuesday who are backing away from the bill. The final vote was 215-214.
"A group of 16 House Republicans — led by more moderate Rep. David Valadao — sent a letter to [Senate Majority Leader John] Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday suggesting they are prepared to vote against the legislation that comes out of the Senate if it includes a cut to the Medicaid provider tax," the report said.
Valadao didn't cast a vote when the measure came up for a vote in the early-morning hours of May 22.
"The Senate is considering lowering the tax that states can levy on medical providers to 3.5%, effectively shrinking the amount states can use to fund their share of Medicaid programs. The tax cut would disproportionately affect rural hospitals," NOTUS said. The 16 members expressed concerns about the decrease.
"Throughout the budget process, we have consistently affirmed our commitment to ensuring that reductions in federal spending do not come at the expense of our most vulnerable constituents. We write to reiterate that commitment to those we represent here in Washington," the letter said.
While the provision on the provider's tax was not in the original House bill, other Medicaid cuts were. That first version of the bill slashed Medicaid by $700 billion over 10 years. So, the majority of the 16 initially supported cuts to Medicaid before they opposed it.
The House members also said they're worried about the "rushed implementation timelines, penalties for expansion states, changes to the community engagement requirements for adults with dependents, and cuts to emergency Medicaid funding," the letter continued. They noted that such a timeline would place additional burdens on the hospitals already suffering under mandates.
Over the weekend, the Senate Parliamentarian revealed that many provisions in the bill don't pass the longstanding requirements that demand budget reconciliation legislation not contain items outside of the actual budget.
This bill has several deregulations and a provision that would block states from regulating artificial intelligence for the next 10 years, as the industry begins ramping up around the world. Another part of the bill defunds the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; however, the department was established by Congress in 2008. There are several more that Forbes listed in a Tuesday report.
Reports indicate that there are not enough votes in the Senate to pass the legislation, with several Republicans opposing cuts to Medicaid and others who oppose the bill, which would add to the deficit.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) called the bill "nation-shaping legislation" after the bill's passage, NPR reported.