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By Jordan King
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Donald Trump's budget blueprint has passed through the House amid many concerns that there would be cuts to Medicaid, potentially affecting tens of millions of Americans.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees Medicaid, must now cut $880 billion in spending over the next decade, but the big question remains as to how that will be achieved.
Why It Matters
About 24 percent of people in the U.S. are enrolled in Medicaid, according to an estimate from NYU Langone Health. As of October last year, more than 72 million people across the country held Medicaid coverage, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Cuts could have a significant impact such as reduced services and stricter eligibility requirements.
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What To Know
The budget, which calls for $2 trillion in spending cuts in total, does not mention Medicaid specifically but it directs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees Medicaid, to cut $880 billion in spending over the next decade.
Trump has said multiple times that Medicaid would not be affected, telling Fox News last week that it would not be "touched."
But the House Energy and Commerce Committee would have to find this money, out of Medicaid, Medicare and the Children's Health Insurance Program.
If the committee takes its cuts from everything that is not health care, reducing this spending to $0, it would still be more than $600 billion short, according to analysis by The New York Times.
The vote passed 217-215, with all Democrats and one Republican opposed. It comes after GOP leaders confirmed certain cuts to Medicaid would not be happening, to get a number of House Republicans on board, according to POLITICO.
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The outlet was informed by several lawmakers, who had been present at Tuesday night's meetings to discuss the concerns, that GOP leaders said they would protect certain Medicaid services and not cut into the share of federal payments for the program.
Some Republicans have supported the move to ensure states pay a greater proportion of Medicaid costs, as for some states the federal government has been paying 90 percent of the costs for Affordable Care Act (ACA) expansion enrollees.
GOP leaders have also assured concerned Republicans that they would focus on addressing "waste, fraud and abuse" in the program rather than cutting benefits, according to POLITICO.
What People Are Saying
Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez posed on X: "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."
She added: "The order that's been sent down here is 'find $880 billion,' not 'there is $880 billion of waste, fraud and abuse,' it's 'find $880 billion.' And so, we have not heard a single concrete number of the amount of waste that's been identified."
Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday, February 24: "Look, everybody needs to understand that the resolution is merely the starting point for the process. So there's nothing specific about Medicaid in the resolution. The legislation comes later, so this is the important first start."
Johnson also said: "Medicaid is hugely problematic because it has a lot of fraud, waste and abuse. Everybody knows that. We all know it intuitively. No one in here would disagree. What we're talking about is rooting out the fraud, waste, and abuse. It doesn't matter what party you're in, you should be for that because it saves your money, and it preserves the programs so that it is available for the people who desperately need it."
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen where the House Energy and Commerce Committee will find its savings. The budget still has to be accepted by the Senate and then both houses of Congress will need to pass legislation to follow its instructions.
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