GOP Rep. Tells Medicaid Recipients to 'Get Off Your Ass and Get a Job'

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) lashed out at a reporter pressing him on the human cost of deep Medicaid cuts contained in the GOP's "big, beautiful bill."

A independent journalist approached Burchett on the street in DC, filming as he warned that, "a lot of people will die because of the cuts."

"They're not going to die, dude. Quit lying," Burchett snapped. "Why don't you get off my ass? Back off!"

When the reporter noted that billionaires are receiving tax breaks while low-income Americans are facing cuts to healthcare, Burchett dismissed the claim. "You're getting paid to lie... Show me where 17 million people are gonna die."

Burchett dismissed the suggestion that Medicaid loss could be linked to increased mortality, emphasizing personal responsibility instead.

"If they would get off their ass and get a job—" Burchett began, as the reporter pushed back against the implication that only lazy people experience unemployment.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that up to 17 million Americans could lose coverage under the House-passed budget, which rolls back Medicaid expansion and introduces stricter work requirements.

The video was filmed on July 3, shortly before Burchett and all but three House Republicans would vote for the "Big, Beautiful Bill," which Trump signed into law the next day.

The bill's cuts to Medicaid will go into effect in 2026.