Congress Meets To Work On Budget Reconciliation Process
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 25: Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) speaks to reporters prior to the Senate Republicans weekly policy luncheon, in the US Capitol on March 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. Republicans are meeting as the Trump administration faces blowback after defense plans that were posted in a group chat including top cabinet officials on the Signal app were accidentally shared with Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine. WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 22: Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) departs from a Senate Transportation Committee business meeting to consider the nomination of Sean Duffy as Transportation Secretary on Capitol Hill on January 22, 2025 in Washington, DC. During the meeting, the committee voted with bipartisan support to move Duffy's nomination out of committee and to the full Senate. Al Drago/Getty Images | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Republican Senators are speaking out against their own party's proposed Medicaid cuts, warning that slashing benefits would devastate vulnerable Americans and fracture GOP unity.

As efforts to fund a broad tax cut package ramp up, House Republicans have directed committees to find $880 billion in Medicaid savings over the next decade—a target difficult to reach without reducing benefits.

The move has reignited longstanding debate within the Republican Party over the future of Medicaid, especially in states that expanded the program under the Affordable Care Act.

Senators Bernie Moreno (R-OH) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) criticized the House proposals to cap federal funding or reduce expansion contributions, calling them de facto benefit cuts, according to Semafor.

Moreno was particularly forceful, saying the rhetoric around slashing Medicaid "infuriates" him and only serves to "stress people out" when their healthcare is on the line.

"We don't need to cut benefits. And it actually really infuriates me to hear people here talking about that, because it stresses people out. This is life and death for them," Moreno said.

Both senators emphasized preserving current benefits while supporting moderate reforms, such as implementing work requirements and improving program efficiency.

With a growing bloc of GOP senators publicly opposing benefit reductions—and President Donald Trump also signaling resistance to such cuts—the House may face serious roadblocks in advancing aggressive Medicaid reductions.

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