Republican Senator Declares Americans Will 'Get Over' Medicaid Cuts in Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill'

Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell dismissed concerns over potential Medicaid cuts in President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill," saying Americans would "get over" them.

McConnell, Kentucky's longest-serving senator, reportedly made the comment during a closed-door meeting Tuesday in which North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis voiced concern about the GOP losing seats in 2026 because of the bill's deep cuts to the federal and state program. The "big, beautiful bill," which passed the House last month, would cut Medicaid spending by $793 billion over the next 10 years.

"I know a lot of us are hearing from people back home about Medicaid, but they'll get over it," McConnell told his fellow legislators, adding that "failure is not an option," according to an X post by Punchbowl News reporter Andrew Desiderio.

Kentucky has one of the highest Medicaid enrollment rates in the nation, with approximately 25% of its population, nearly 1.5 million people, relying on the program for healthcare coverage, according to KFF.

A spokesperson for the 83-year-old senator pushed back on the narrative that he was disparaging Americans who rely on the program, claiming he "was speaking about the people who are abusing Medicaid — the able-bodied Americans who should be working — and the need to withstand Democrats' scare tactics when it comes to Medicaid."

"Senator McConnell was urging his fellow members to highlight that message to our constituents and remind them that we should all be against waste, fraud, and abuse while working to protect our rural hospitals and have safety nets in place for people that need it," his spokesperson told the Kentucky Lantern.

However, 68% of adult Medicaid recipients are employed, according to KFF. Additionally, 1 in 11 beneficiaries are children, most of whom are ineligible to work, and 1 in 5 recipients suffer from three or more chronic conditions, significantly limiting their ability to work.

McConnell reportedly has a net worth of nearly $52 million, according to Quiver Quantitative's live tracker.