Nebraska Republican Rep. Don Bacon told the White House he is drawing a "red line" at $500 billion in reductions to Medicaid, Politico said, citing two people with direct knowledge.
In his private conversation on the matter, Bacon made it clear that if the Republicans intend to pass what Donald Trump calls a "big beautiful bill" to extend 2017 tax cuts, they won't have his vote if they also slash Medicaid spending.
Bacon's concerns are part of a broader problem for the GOP trying to pass a party-line megabill" that would fund the Trump border policy and other matters, Politico reported Tuesday.
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"Moderates are wary of changes that could cut deep into safety-net programs, while conservative hard-liners want to drastically slash them — all with slim margins in the House and Senate," said Politico.
A "panel met Monday evening and privately debated capping federal payments for certain beneficiaries in states that have expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act," said Politico.
"Obamacare" opened Medicaid up for anyone with income below the poverty line. Many Republicans don't want to roll back the expansion.
Bacon could end up being a crucial vote as deficit hawks like Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Victoria Spartz (R-IN) have been opposed to the earlier version of the bill.
Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY), the chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, told Politico that the goal is to cut $880 billion from health care provisions. However, he said that those cuts could come from other places in healthcare funding.
