Josh Hawley Opposes Trump-Backed Budget Cuts to Medicaid
(Francis Chung / E&E News and Politico via AP Images)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Far-right Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) is pushing back against a significant element of President Donald Trump and the House GOP’s budget plan, introducing legislation to block Medicaid cuts. “Hawley says he filed an amendment barring cuts to Medicaid,” reported Igor Bobic of the Huffington Post. “Adds he’s tempted to vote for similar Dem amendments.”
Hawley has been vocal in his opposition to slashing Medicaid, a federal-state program providing health insurance to low-income Americans, currently covering approximately 80 million people, including the Children’s Health Insurance Program. His stance aligns with former Trump strategist Steve Bannon, who has pointed out that many Trump supporters rely on Medicaid and would suffer from such reductions.
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The House GOP’s budget framework, designed to finance Trump’s proposed tax cuts, includes nearly $1 trillion in combined cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps.
Trump recently assured the public that he wouldn’t touch Medicaid, in line with his past promises not to reduce Social Security or Medicare. However, he swiftly endorsed the House’s budget proposal, which does, in fact, include these cuts. The contradiction has left his staff scrambling to clarify his position.
During Trump’s previous administration, the GOP attempted to implement hundreds of billions of dollars in Medicaid cuts through a failed effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Even after that effort collapsed, Trump moved forward with reducing Medicaid access by allowing states to impose stringent work requirements, leading to thousands losing coverage—even among those technically meeting the criteria.
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Federal courts blocked most of these restrictive policies, and the Biden administration later rescinded them. With Medicaid’s future once again in jeopardy, Hawley’s opposition adds another layer of contention to the ongoing budget negotiations, highlighting the deep divisions within the Republican Party over healthcare policy.
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