House Republicans on Energy panel advance legislation with steep Medicaid cuts

Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced legislation Wednesday afternoon in a party-line vote that includes steep cuts to Medicaid, as part of its sweeping tax bill.

The legislation advanced out of committee in a 30-24 split after a 26-hour mark-up that began on Tuesday, according to Politico. The legislation will now go to the House Budget Committee on Friday.

The bill reduces federal spending on Medicaid by hundreds of billions of dollars, shortens the Affordable Care Act’s open enrollment period, and includes a provision that calls for states to impose work requirements for childless adults aged 19-64 with some exemptions, according to The Hill.

Republicans have expressed concern in the past about how many people are on Medicaid when people should still be capable of holding legitimate jobs. 

Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., a member of the Ways and Means Committee, told Just The News last week that a workfare requirement will create savings to help those most in need of the health care subsidies, from special-needs adults to seniors.

"Unfortunately, when you have these big programs in states like New York, where there isn't oversight, where there isn't any kind of stoppage or common sense to these things," Tenney said. "We need to take a look at those things and ask ourselves, 'why do we have 8 million New Yorkers on Medicaid in a state that should be prosperous when only about 5 million are eligible?' 

"Who are these three million people?" she continued to ask. "Who of those three million people are able-bodied adults that don't have special needs? They're not seniors. They don't have children who are capable of going to work."

The proposed cuts would result in millions losing Medicaid coverage by 2034, but Republican lawmakers said the bulk of people who would be impacted are illegal migrants and "able-bodied" people who should still be working. 

GOP Texas Rep. Chip Roy previously called Medicaid one of the biggest drivers of wasteful spending due to the amount of improper payments coupled with the Medicaid expansion that has taken place in 41 states.

"Today, the federal government covers roughly 75% of all Medicaid costs, up from its historic 60% share. That cost shift exceeds $100 billion annually," Roy wrote in a letter to his GOP colleagues earlier this month. "Meanwhile, improper Medicaid payments have totaled more than $1.1 trillion over the last decade."

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.