House Republicans are suggesting $880 billion in cus to U.S. healthcare programs, largely to Medicaid.
Legislation revealed on Sunday noted that the Energy and Commerce Committee, one of the 11 House committees compiling suggestions and cuts to the federal fiscal year 2026 budget, is looking to change Medicaid, which provides almost free health care to more than 70 million Americans. The program will likely now come with a "community engagement requirement," or at least 80 hours of work per month, education, or service for able-bodied adults with dependents, the Associated Press reported.
Individuals on Medicaid would also have to verify their eligibility twice a year, rather than once a year, the news agency said.
In addition, there would be a freeze on the so-called tax provider tax that some states use to help pay for portions of their Medicaid programs. The tax often leads to higher payments from the federal government, which critics say leads to abuse in the system, the AP said.
More than a dozen Republican officials have told Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, that they will not support cuts to many health care safety net programs.
Democrats have been warning about the possible cuts for weeks, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who say the cuts the Trump administration and the GOP are suggesting are reckless and cruel.
"...What House Republicans are doing is trying to jam this extreme budget down the throats of the American people that would visit the largest cut to healthcare in American history, and at the same time take food out of the mouths of children, veterans and families in order to pay for a massive tax cut for their billionaire donors like Elon Musk," Jeffries said on May 8.
Speaker Johnson has set a Memorial Day deadline to pass President Donald Trump's budget bill.
