Trump blesses Medicaid scrutiny to pay for mega-MAGA package

[Zincwarrior]

I guess "we're not touching Medicaid" and wanting to reduce the debt were just alternate facts.

https://www.axios.com/2025/03/14/trump-medicaid-reconciliation-taxes-border

President Trump opened the door Thursday for Senate Republicans to find cost savings in Medicaid as they hunt for ways to pay for his border, defense and tax priorities, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Trump has been emphatic that Medicaid benefits won't be "touched," but he endorsed looking for "waste, fraud and abuse" and even imposing new work requirements.

• On Thursday, Trump and some top White House officials met with Republican senators on the Finance Committee, which includes Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and GOP Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.).

Zoom in: Trump indicated to senators he is open to cutting "waste, fraud and abuse" from any mandatory spending — including Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security, multiple senators in the meeting told Axios.

• Social Security can't be dealt with in reconciliation.
• Trump expressed openness to work requirements for Medicaid and discussing ways to reduce the rate of growth of some health care programs which could be counted as potentially hundreds of billions of dollars in savings.
• He was also clear he wants Congress to deal with raising the debt ceiling in the reconciliation package and supports making his 2017 tax cuts permanent by using a "current policy" maneuver to make the cost $0.

"It became clear that [Trump] wanted to be bold," one senator told Axios, requesting anonymity to speak candidly.

What they're saying: "The President wants to make sure that we do eliminate waste, fraud, abuse, and, you know, there are a number of scams going on right now with Medicaid," Barrasso told Axios.

 

[Cellblock2429]

I guess "we're not touching Medicaid" and wanting to reduce the debt were just alternate facts.

https://www.axios.com/2025/03/14/trump-medicaid-reconciliation-taxes-border

/----/

 

[debbiedowner]

I guess "we're not touching Medicaid" and wanting to reduce the debt were just alternate facts.

https://www.axios.com/2025/03/14/trump-medicaid-reconciliation-taxes-border

In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti

 

[1srelluc]

Benefits won't be touched

Trump said nothing about streamlining and cutting waste....You would think that most folks with any common sense at all would laud that.....But then again we are talking about dems here.

 

[Cellblock2429]

In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti

/----/ PATER NOSTER, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum. Adveniat regnum tuum. Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie, et dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo. Amen.