Analyst reveals internal GOP document laying out Medicaid cuts

Reporting on a contentious Republican meeting where former Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) blew off his colleagues' concerns about Medicaid cuts in the looming budget bill to be voted upon, Punchbowl's Andrew Desiderio shared a dramatic handout the senators were given.

On MSNBC's "Morning Joe," the reporter noted that lawmakers were "shocked" when the outgoing McConnell told them to pass the bill and added, "I know a lot of us are hearing from people back home about Medicaid. But they’ll get over it.”

Speaking with the hosts, Desiderio claimed the biggest pushback came from Sen. Thom Tillis who faces an uphill re-election in 2026, noting the North Carolina Republican came armed with a memo showing the impact on various states if the bill is passed as is.

"Senator Tillis, for example, has raised significant concerns about these Medicaid cuts in the bill, and not just with the policy itself, but how it will affect Republicans politically," he reported. "I mean, Senator Tillis was very straightforward in his presentation during the lunch yesterday in which he said, this will be our version of Obamacare and what he was referring to was the fact that Republicans like himself, swept into power in 2014 partially because of that rocky rollout of Obamacare."

Holding up a piece of paper, he continued, "I actually have the document here that a Republican senator slipped to me of those Medicaid cuts."

"This is what Senator Tillis was outlining to his colleagues," he elaborated. "You know, states like West Virginia, $6.2 billion, Missouri $6.1 billion. But then you look at North Carolina and we're looking at almost $40 billion forfeited over the next decade and it's striking to see a comment like this on the flier."

You can watch below or at the link.

- YouTubeyoutu.be