The House Freedom Caucus handed Democrats ammunition on Monday after dropping an op-ed that calls for reforms to Medicaid and boosted the Democrats’ narrative that the GOP wants to gut the beneficiary program for millions of Americans.
Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris (R-MD) and Reps. Chip Roy (R-TX) and Eric Burlison (R-MO) called on lawmakers to reform Medicaid “to prevent a total collapse of the U.S. dollar and give the American people the opportunities they deserve,” according to an op-ed in Fox News.
“We are not asking you to slash Medicaid, only turn back the clock and reverse its explosive expansion in the last few years that has put it on an unsustainable course,” the lawmakers said.
Democrats have blasted Republicans for weeks over the budget reconciliation process and argued that the projected $880 billion in Energy and Commerce Committee cuts runs right through Medicaid and Medicare. The Congressional Budget Office released a letter outlining that Republicans cannot meet their budget target without making large cuts to the two programs.
GOP leaders have repeatedly said they would not cut Medicaid, but the op-ed from hard-line Republicans gave Democrats an edge in their messaging — particularly as the role of Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency in the executive branch continues to suffer severe scrutiny and criticism from both parties.
The Freedom Caucus members wrote in the op-ed that Medicaid is projected to cost over a trillion dollars annually within a decade and placed the blame on Obamacare and the Biden administration’s expansion of the program.
They urged to “bring the rhetoric back to reality” and noted that reform would not be the end of the entitlement program.
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“Medicaid was intended to assist vulnerable populations like the disabled, pregnant women, children and people in poverty,” the lawmakers said. “Today, able-bodied, working-capable adults are on course to become the largest subgroup on Medicaid.”
“Medicaid was meant to be a temporary bridge, not a final destination. You want to help your constituents? Give them the proper incentive structure to grow and thrive. Put them on the path to financial stability,” Burlison, Harris, and Roy added.