Trump says Social Security, Medicaid won’t face cuts as part of GOP budget bill
President Donald Trump made it clear during a town hall hosted by NewsNation that public entitlements, such as Social Security and Medicaid, will remain untouched in the GOP’s new budget bill. This comes after the Republican-led House of Representatives approved $2 trillion in spending cuts, which did not include cuts to Social Security but did open the door for potential cuts to Medicaid.
In the Senate, Republicans have proposed just $4 billion in cuts, a fraction of what the House Republicans have called for. This has led to some GOP senators expressing hesitation over making cuts to Medicaid, setting the stage for a potential internal party conflict over the issue.
Trump emphasized that there will be no changes to entitlements like Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security. He stated that while he is committed to rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse in public entitlement programs, he has no intention of making any cuts that would harm beneficiaries.
Republicans are using a process called reconciliation to bypass a Senate filibuster in order to finalize their budget plans by Memorial Day. However, they must come to an agreement on where to make cuts in order to fund the tax cuts they want to implement.
Rep. Chip Roy of Texas stressed the importance of Medicaid reform in order to make the budget math work. He argued that those who oppose Medicaid reform are essentially in favor of a tax increase, as the two are interconnected in the budgetary process.
Centrist Republicans like Reps. Jeff Van Drew and Don Bacon have indicated that they will not support any budget bill that includes deep cuts to Medicaid. This highlights the internal divisions within the GOP over how to approach entitlement programs in the new budget.
Overall, the debate over public entitlements in the GOP’s budget bill underscores the challenges of balancing fiscal responsibility with the need to protect vulnerable populations. As the budget negotiations continue, it remains to be seen how these competing priorities will be reconciled within the party.
