Kicking Millions Of People Off Of Medicaid
Donald Trump visited Capitol Hill today, in an attempt to browbeat his fellow Republicans into supporting a budget bill. Speaker Mike Johnson has his own self-imposed deadline of passing the bill this week, before Memorial Day. Whether this plan succeeds or not is still very much in doubt, however.
The next step may happen in the dead of night, as the Rules Committee is scheduled to meet and vote on the revised bill at 1:00 A.M. tonight (or, technically: "Wednesday morning"). Post-midnight legislative meetings are pretty unusual, obviously, and if the vote doesn't succeed then the Memorial Day deadline will likely not be met.
Trump met with the Republicans for over an hour today, but it's unclear whether he moved the needle much by doing so. As is his wont, he threatened any holdouts with being primaried, but even this may not be enough leverage. One in particular who was called out by name multiple times by Trump, Thomas Massie, left the meeting stating that the threat of a primary challenge is "not consequential to my vote." Other Republicans expressed skepticism that Trump's pep talk had changed anyone's mind.
When the bill gets to a floor vote in the full House, Republicans can only afford to lose three votes. And (as I discussed yesterday) it's not just a matter of keeping one faction on board, there are in fact multiple groups of Republican House members who have major problems with the bill as it is written -- and some of these groups are in direct opposition with other factions. This makes Johnson's job a tough one, since he can't just sprinkle a few legislative goodies in the bill at the last minute to get everyone on board. Anything he gives one faction will be seen as a further betrayal of a differing faction's agenda.
At this point, Trump doesn't really care what makes it into the bill and what doesn't -- he just wants a big legislative success. So far, he really hasn't had much of any legislative accomplishments to brag about, even with the GOP holding both houses of Congress. This bill is the one thing that they can pass without Democratic votes, since budgets are not subject to Senate filibusters. In fact, this could be the sole legislative achievement for the entire year, which is why the stakes are so high. It's also why Trump wants a win so badly -- because if the effort bogs down and starts missing (self-imposed) deadlines, it will send the message to the country that Republicans are incapable of getting much of anything done even with their majorities.
Trump -- and at least one of the GOP factions -- already knows he's going to have a messaging problem with one of the biggest parts of the bill, since as it is currently written it will wind up kicking over seven million people off of Medicaid (7.6 million will lose Medicaid coverage and another million will lose their Affordable Care Act coverage). Trump, true to form, is trying to have this both ways at once. Today he claimed Republicans are "not touching" Medicaid (he even shouted out to reporters: "No cuts to Medicaid!"), which is patently ridiculous (since the bill does indeed have Medicaid cuts, to the tune of $700 billion). Trump tries to square this circle by saying that these massive cuts are all somehow "waste, fraud, and abuse," which is also ridiculous. But that's going to be the party line -- they didn't cut Medicaid, they just fixed it, that's all.
This could be the biggest issue in the midterm elections next year, it is worth pointing out. And the Democratic ads will just write themselves, pretty much. Pete Buttigieg (sporting his new beard) just released a video previewing what the Democratic message will be. He begins this video with a list of what the Republican budget will do:
One -- Add trillions of dollars to the national debt.
Two -- Cut taxes for the wealthy.
Three -- Kick millions of Americans off of Medicaid.
That's a pretty easy-to-understand political argument to make, especially since Buttigieg tailored it to be all-inclusive:
[Pete] Buttigieg, speaking straight into the camera in a video posted on X, called on viewers to contact their representatives and "ask them if they're going to keep the promises that they made earlier this year not to cut Medicaid."
"This bill is bad policy no matter which part of the political spectrum you come from," Buttigieg added. "Most conservatives I know hate the idea of adding trillions of dollars to the national debt. Most liberals I know are especially troubled by the idea of more tax cuts for the wealthy. And most Americans I know understand that kicking millions of people in this country off their health care is just wrong."
This argument will doubtlessly be deployed by many Democrats who are running to flip Republican seats -- especially in districts which have a high percentage of people on Medicaid. And Republicans will be out there adding insult to injury by telling all those millions of people: "We consider you to be a fraudster, or an abuser of the system, or we just think providing you with healthcare is a waste of money." Republicans now think it is brilliant messaging to just dismiss all their massive Medicaid cuts as "waste, fraud, and abuse," but in the end this framing may come back to haunt them when they are confronted with what it actually means to real people who lose their health coverage.
Trump may succeed in browbeating the House Republicans into voting for the bill, although even that much is not yet guaranteed. If it does pass the House, it will head over to the Senate, where changes will be made. Even if the Senate Republicans remove some of the provisions of the bill, however, the House Republicans will already be on record supporting them (whether they make it into the final bill or not, in other words). And their Democratic opponents will be reminding the voters of this fact throughout the campaign.
"Republicans added trillions of dollars to the national debt and threw millions of people off of Medicaid, all so they could give Elon Musk and his billionaire buddies a big fat tax cut." As I said, the ads pretty much write themselves.
-- Chris Weigant
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
NO ONE is being kicked off Medicaid...
It's as big of a lie as Odumbo's "If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor"
But not quite as big of a lie as "Joe Biden is as sharp as a tack.. He is at the top of his game."
Ya'all ALMOST got a MICHALE FREE commentary...
But there will ALWAYS be those whiney snowflakes who can't handle a REAL debate and have to whine and cry and stamp their feet and give NOTHING but personal attacks..
I did my part.. Ya'all need to step up... :eyeroll:
Finally....
NORM!!!!!
Requiescant in pace
ok... whew!
I made it through a whole Friday!
But did you, CW?? :D
Did you REALLY?? The "WHOLE" Friday??
hehe :D
"Republicans added trillions of dollars to the national debt and threw millions of people off of Medicaid, all so they could give Elon Musk and his billionaire buddies a big fat tax cut."
But DID they really??
You have the Fear Mongering... NOW let's take a look at the facts...
The claim that the GOP ballooned the national debt and gutted Medicaid to fund tax cuts for billionaires like Elon Musk is a distorted smear and has little to nothing to do with FACTS or OBJECTIVE REALITY..
The 2025 House Budget Resolution, passed April 10, 2025, extends the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, "saving middle-class families at least $2,000 (or more!!!) annually..." {CITE: Tax Foundation, April 2025
It adds approx $4 trillion to the debt over a decade, offset by $90 billion yearly tariff revenue and $880 billion in spending cuts, mostly targeting waste, not Medicaid {CITE: CBO, Feb 2025}
Let me repeat that for the cheap seats...
OFFSET BY NINETY **BILLION** DOLLARS YEARLY TARIFF REVENUE AND EIGHT HUNDRED AND EIGHTY **BILLION** DOLLARS IN SPENDING CUTS... *****MOSTLY TARGETING WASTE****** NOT MEDICAID!!!
THANK YOU DOGE!!!!!
Claims of “millions” losing Medicaid are completely factless and has NOTHING to do with the OBJECTIVE REALITY.. The CBO estimates work requirements might reduce enrollment by 1.5 million but WON'T eliminate coverage, with $381 billion in non-healthcare ***SAVINGS***!!! {CITE: CBO, 2023}
Billionaires like Musk benefit marginally, but 60% of tax cut gains go to households earning under $100,000 {CITE: Ways and Means, Feb 2025}
Woke progressive Democrats’ fearmongering COMPLETELY and UTTERLY ignores PRESIDENTTrump’s economic wins...
What ARE those wins!!!???
1 million jobs created and inflation at a four-year low of 2.3% {CITE: NPR, MAY 2025}
X posts from @RepSherrill {CITE:Feb 2025} exaggerate Medicaid cuts, contradicted by GOP assurances of a 25% funding increase...
The GOP prioritized growth, not handouts for the ultra-rich, while Democrats peddle lies to dodge their 29% favorability flop {CITE: NBC, March 2025}
The FACTS???? The OBJECTIVE REALITY???
PRESIDENT Trump’s budget strengthens America, not Musk’s wallet.
"These are the facts of the case. And they are undisputed."
-Captain Smilin' Jack Ross, A FEW GOOD MEN :D
CITES:
Tax Foundation, April 2025
CBO, Feb 2025
CBO, 2023
Ways and Means, Feb 2025
NPR, May 2025
NBC, Mar 2025
"And the HITS just keep on comin'!!"
-Tom Cruise, A FEW GOOD MEN
:D
I may pop on in the morning to rebut all the hysterical responses I will get over night..
But it's the AWARDS CEREMONY tomorrow and I gotta kinda be there to be awarded.. :D
So I won't be around too much...
See ya'all in the AM... :D
Don't worry Michale, with all that enbolding and all caps, no one will be as hysterical as you...
The next step may happen in the dead of night, as the Rules Committee is scheduled to meet and vote on the revised bill at 1:00 A.M. tonight (or, technically: "Wednesday morning").
It's all part of that GOP "transparency" they keep bragging about.
Post-midnight legislative meetings are pretty unusual, obviously, and if the vote doesn't succeed then the Memorial Day deadline will likely not be met.
It's 3:14A in DC and there's no vote yet.
Don't worry Michale, with all that enbolding and all caps, no one will be as hysterical as you...
You see, Bash.. This is EXACTLY why you always lose..
Allow me to illustrate...
Before JL joined the Dark Side of the Trump/America hating Sith, he was able to lay out some pretty decent arguments..
Now, postulate that we are back at that time and JL put for an AMAZING comment filled with facts and cites and everything...
And MY response was:
Well, JL ya tried... But you have absolutely NOTHING in the way of punctuation, so your entire comment is utterly meaningless and not even worth considering. It was a nice try, but no one will take your so-called "facts" seriously because you completely lack ANY semblance of punctuation...
Now how completely ridiculous is that???
In this far flung past scenario, JL's comment is dead on ballz accurate and VERY insightful to boot. And I am completely devastated by his facts and cites, the ONLY way I can respond is to nitpick his posting style..
That is pretty lame and utterly stoopid, right??
And *THAT* is EXACTLY how lame and utterly stoopid YOU sound when you respond to my comments..
It's like you get lectured by Stephen Hawking and your response is "Yea!!?? Well..... You talk funny!!!"
It's WORSE than a SPELLING/GRAMMAR Lame... It's a STYLE LAME...
You sound like a COMPLETE and UTTER idiot...
This is exactly you in a nutshell..
You are left completely gobsmacked by my facts, my arguments and my cites and you think that EVERYONE thinks you are an idiot..
So what do you do??
You make a completely inane and lame response and you PROVE to everyone that you are, indeed, an idiot... :eyeroll:
So, here's the deal, Bash..
You can continue to sound like a complete and utter MORON... It's funny to watch, in a sad and pathetic sort of way..
OR....
Or you can quit being lazy and actually DO THE WORK to actually give a reasonable and rational rebuttal to my points...
Oh, don't me wrong.. You'll still lose... I'll still hand you your arse...
But at least you'll have a SMIDGEN of self-respect that you at least RESPONDED like a rational mature adult and not some third grader who doesn't have two brain cells to rub together...
Either way, I'll be here.. :D
You have a great day, Bash... You know I will.... :D
Victoria,
It's all part of that GOP "transparency" they keep bragging about.
Which is INFINITELY better than the woke progressive Democrats and their "We have to PASS the legislation to find out what's IN IT!!" bullshit...
:eyeroll:
CW,
Post-midnight legislative meetings are pretty unusual, obviously, and if the vote doesn't succeed then the Memorial Day deadline will likely not be met.
Are they, CW??
Are they REALLY?? :D
Remember the vaunted ODUMBO CARE process??
2009 Affordable Care Act (November 7, 2009)
The House passed the Affordable Care Act (AKA DUMBOCARE) in a late-night vote starting at 11:07 p.m., concluding past midnight with a 220-215 tally. Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s infamous “we have to pass the bill to find out what’s in it” remark fueled accusations of rushed, opaque legislating
And if you want to go to the STATE level..
2019 Washington State Budget and Tax Bills (April 2019)
Washington state Democrats ended their legislative session at 11:59 p.m., passing major budget and tax bills. Critics argued the late-night votes were strategic to minimize opposition and media coverage, a pattern noted in other Democratic-led sessions
But wait! There is more!! :D
2022 Freedom to Vote Act (January 2022)
Senate Democrats held votes after midnight to push the Freedom to Vote Act, extending debates into early morning hours. The bill, aimed at expanding voting access, failed due to a Republican filibuster but drew criticism for its late-night timing, seen as a tactic to limit public attention
And, of course, who can forget.....
2021 COVID Relief Bill (February 27, 2021)
The House passed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act around 2:00 a.m., with a 219-212 vote. No Republicans supported it, and two Democrats opposed it, citing excessive non-COVID spending. Rep. Kevin McCarthy criticized Democrats for “jamming it through in the dead of night,” highlighting only 9% of funds targeted virus relief {CITE: X posts from @WallStreetApes (Mar 2025)} note similar tactics, suggesting Democrats use late hours to avoid scrutiny
And THAT is just within the past 5 or 6 years..
If I research even FURTHER, I am SURE I can find oodles and oodles and oodles of facts that prove that the DEMOCRATS have ALSO used that political tactic...
Once again proving that Democrats always accuse the GOP of what they themselves (Democrats) are guilty of..
Don't hate the awesome player, my friend..
Hate the game.. :D
I may pop on in the morning to rebut all the hysterical responses I will get over night.
And Bash and Victoria sure didn't disappoint... :D
Looks like the GOP has made progress...
Hopefully they can meet the MEMORIAL DAY deadline.. They got plenty of time.. :D
Did any of ya'all catch the SecState Rubio/Van Hollen exchange during the Senate Foreign Relations meeting?? :D
Van Hollen got PWN'ed!!! :D
At the May 20, 2025, Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, SecState Marco Rubio delivered a fiery defense of PRESIDENT Trump’s foreign policy, scorching Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) in a brutal exchange.
Rubio testified on the 2026 State Department budget, defending $20 billion in aid cuts and USAID’s overhaul, citing “wasteful” programs {CITE: Reuters, May 2025}.
Van Hollen, regretting his confirmation vote, accused Rubio of betraying democracy by slashing aid, letting “children starve,” and fast-tracking white South African refugees {CITE: NPR, May 2025}.
Rubio torched him, mocking Van Hollen’s El Salvador trip to meet a deported MS-13 terrorist, gangbanger, wife-beater and all around scumbag, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, saying, “Your regret confirms I’m doing a good job” {CITE: X post, @ABC, May 2025}.
OUCH!!!!
"And the REF takes a point away!!!"
-Jim Carrey, LIAR LIAR
:D
Van Hollen was whining and crying hysterically that SecState Rubio and PRESIDENT Trump cut the funding for the program that provide circumcisions for children in Mozambique!!.
THAT is a "Democrat Priority"!!!????
It's no wonder you Democrats got yer arses handed to ya'all in 2024!!! :eyeroll:
Rubio also rebuffed Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s claim that PRESIDENT Trump was “played” by Putin, noting unchanged Russia sanctions and ongoing Ukraine aid {CITE: Washington Post, May 2025}.
SecState Rubio championed PRESIDENT Trump’s Syria sanctions lift and Middle East deals, earning rare Democratic praise {CITE: Fox News, May 2025}.
SecState Rubio’s sharp wit and unapologetic stance flagellated Van Hollen, exposing Democrat hypocrisy while cementing his role as PRESIDENT Trump’s fierce diplomatic warrior.
SecState Rubio simply ate Democrats' lunches!! :D
CITES:
Reuters, May 2025
NPR, May 2025
Washington Post, May 2025
Fox News, May 2025
X post by @ABC, May 2025
X post by @ChrisVanHollen, May 2025
Something Democrats prove every day..
Well.. Except for the "win" part... :D Democrats haven't done much "winning" these days..
Oh wait.. Yea.. Democrats "won" Omaha...
Be proud, Democrats...
:eyeroll:
It's as big of a lie as Odumbo's "If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor"
How many millions and millions of Americans we're "kicked off" their insurances due to OdumboCare??
Funny how Democrats didn't give RIP about THOSE Americans, eh??
So, could Democrats please spare me the crocodile tears??
The claims are simply not factually accurate...
:eyeroll:
SO, there is a new poll out... And since I KNOW how much ya'all love polls (at least the polls that say what ya'all want to hear) I just KNOW ya'all are gonna love this poll.. :D
The Co/efficient poll naming Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AKA Occasional Cortex) the “face of the Democrat Party” is a hilarious self own for Democrats.
The Poll completely and unequivocally exposes their radical to-the-left-drift.
Conducted May 7-9, 2025, with 1,462 likely voters, 26% picked AOC, tying with “no one,” while Sanders trailed at 12% CITE: The Independent, May 2025}.
Occasional Cortex’s aggressive anti-Trump stance and “Fighting Oligarchy” tour with Sanders (from the deck of a $15K per hour private jet :eyeroll: drawing 30,000 in red states, fuel her rise {CITE: Axios, April 2025}.
But her polarizing progressivism such as pushing Medicare for All and abolishing ICE, alienates moderates, with only 21% of New York Republicans viewing her favorably {CITE Newsweek, April 2025}.
X posts from @PollTracker2024 {CITE: May 2025} highlight her lead, yet 69% of Americans see Democrats as out of touch {CITE: Washington Post, March 2025}.
Naming Occasional Cortex as the face of the Democrat Party cements the branding crisis that Democrats are in right now, ensuring GOP victories as centrists and moderates flee the Democrat Party.
Democrats, enjoy your “squad” leader... :D
Amongst TENS and TENS of millions of patriotic everyday Americans, she is PRESIDENT Trump’s best promoter!!! :D
So, please... PLEASE... PLEASE....
Continue to push Occasional Cortex as ya'all's standard bearer...
That's the best thing that Democrats could do!! Seriously!! :D