Republican senators are about to launch into infighting as they struggle to pass President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” according to a report from Politico.
Highlighting a faction of the party it calls “Medicaid moderates,” the news outlet noted that these GOP members are “ideologically diverse” but all share concerns about what the House-passed version of the spending bill does to Medicaid and health care overall.
“I would hope that we would elect not to do anything that would endanger Medicaid benefits as a conference,” Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) said in an interview. “I’ve made that clear to my leadership. I think others share that perspective.”
Senator Jim Justice (R-WV), a former governor, agreed the cuts made by the House are a “real issue.” “They haven’t done anything to really cut into the bone except that one thing,” Justice added. ”That’s gonna put a big burden on the states.”
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However, Politico reports there are some senators who want “to further tighten the House’s bill. This includes making stricter work requirements or reducing the provider tax.”
“I’d be damned disappointed if a Republican majority with a Republican president didn’t make some reforms,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND). “The provider tax is a money laundering machine. … If we don’t go after that, we’re not doing our jobs.”
Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) is still pushing for changes to how states and the federal government split spending on Medicaid. The federal government now picks up 90 percent of the cost for those who are made eligible for Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.
According to the report, the House nixed an effort to reduce that percentage.
One idea being floated to create some common ground on the issue is to phase in the cost percentage change. However, Politico said this “is still likely to be a nonstarter for 50 GOP senators.”
The outlet noted Hawley has already warned that “there will be no Senate bill if that is on the table.”
