Overview
- The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has stated that the GOP's proposed budget cannot achieve its $880 billion spending cut target without significant reductions to Medicaid and other key health programs.
- Medicaid, which provides health coverage to over 70 million low-income Americans, faces potential cuts despite assurances from Speaker Mike Johnson and Donald Trump that the program would remain untouched.
- Republican leaders have suggested adding work requirements for Medicaid recipients, a move critics say could disproportionately harm vulnerable populations and add bureaucratic inefficiencies.
- The proposed budget includes extending the 2017 tax cuts, which would primarily benefit the wealthiest Americans, while increasing national defense and immigration enforcement spending.
- Democrats and policy analysts warn that the proposed Medicaid cuts could result in millions losing access to healthcare, exacerbating economic inequality and straining state-level healthcare systems.