What They Are Saying: Protecting Millions of Americans & Their Medicaid Benefits

A round-up of the latest statements from the Trump Administration, Congressional leaders and members, and other key stakeholders on the need to protect patients from cuts to their Medicaid coverage.

House of Representatives:

Twelve House Republicans, 4/14/25: “We support targeted reforms to improve program integrity, reduce improper payments, and modernize delivery systems to fix flaws in the program that divert resources away from children, seniors, individuals with disabilities, and pregnant women — those who the program was intended to help. However, we cannot and will not support a final reconciliation bill that includes any reduction in Medicaid coverage for vulnerable populations.”
Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), 4/10/25: “Today, the House passed a budget resolution which simply sets the framework to begin the budget process for this fiscal year,” said Congressman Van Drew. “I want to make it absolutely clear that this resolution explicitly does not cut Medicaid, Medicare, or Social Security, and it does not make any changes to the current law. I have said it before, and I will say it again now—I will never support any legislation that cuts benefits to eligible, legal Americans or institutions.”
Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL), 4/2/25: “I’m not for cuts in Medicaid,” Buchanan said at POLITICO’s Health Care Summit Wednesday. “There are a lot of inefficiencies. We’ve got to find a way to be able to … do things better for less.”
Rep. David Valadao (R-CA), 2/25/25: “I’ve heard from countless constituents who tell me the only way they can afford health care is through programs like Medicaid. And I will not support a final reconciliation bill that risks leaving them behind.”
Rep. David Valadao (R-CA), 2/23/25: “My district went from a Biden 13 to a Trump 5,” he said, citing the winning margins in 2020 and 2024. Valadao’s district has among the highest levels of Medicaid recipients in the nation. “There’s no way to assume we didn’t win a bunch of Medicaid voters.”
Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), 2/23/25: “There’s no doubt that there’s waste, fraud and abuse in every program in the government, including Medicaid — but at what point do you stop cutting into the fat and start cutting into the bone? You can’t pull the rug out from millions of people.”
Rep. David Valadao (R-CA), 2/21/25: In Valadao’s San Joaquin Valley district in central California, 38.5% of adults under the age of 65 use Medicaid or other forms of means-tested public coverage as their sole form of health care. That makes Valadao the member of Congress who represents the second-highest number of Medicaid recipients in the entire country, only behind Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torre
Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), 2/21/25: Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon, perennially of the most politically vulnerable House Republicans, also told us he needs better assurances there won’t be major Medicaid cuts in the final bill. Here’s more: “I want to get this done, but $880 billion out of E&C — it sounds like that would be deep cuts to Medicaid. And so I’ve asked the question, how can you cut $880 billion without significantly cutting Medicaid? And I want the leadership to show me, or in this case the chairman.”
Rep. David Valadao (R-CA), 2/20/25: “There’s at least double digits of people who are severely concerned,” Valadao told the Hill. “And I think as people start to understand the specifics of how it’s going to affect their districts, I imagine that number grows.”… Valadao clearly felt political pain after his vote for the House GOP legislation, even if it never became law. “I’ve had people come to my office and say: ‘Did you take away my health care with this vote?’” he told POLITICO in 2017. Seventeen months later, he lost his seat.
Rep. David Valadao (R-CA), 2/19/25: “The House Budget Resolution proposed $880 billion in cuts to programs under the jurisdiction of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, with Medicaid expected to bear the brunt of these reductions. Nearly 30% of Medicaid enrollees are Hispanic Americans, and for many families across the country, Medicaid is their only access to healthcare. Slashing Medicaid would have serious consequences, particularly in rural and predominantly Hispanic communities where hospitals and nursing homes are already struggling to keep their doors open. Moreover, the possibility of cutting Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) funding threatens hospitals that serve low-income and uninsured patients.”
Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), 2/19/25: “My ask of leadership is, show me how you can cut $880 billion in [Energy and Commerce Committee] without it having significant cuts to Medicaid And I’m not interested in voting for something that’s going to lead to big cuts in [the committee] when even the president says he’s opposed to it.”
Reps. Tony Gonzales (R-TZ), Monica De La Cruz (R-TX), David Valadao (R-CA.), Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) Rob Bresnahan (R-PA), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), along with Dels. James Moylan of Guam and Kimberlyn King-Hinds of Northern Mariana Islands, 2/19/25: “The House Budget Resolution proposed $800 billion in cuts to programs under the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, with Medicaid expected to bear the brunt of these reductions. Nearly 30% of Medicaid enrollees are Hispanic Americans, and for many families across the country, Medicaid is their only access to healthcare. Slashing Medicaid would have serious consequences, particularly in rural and predominantly Hispanic communities where hospitals and nursing homes are already struggling to keep their doors open. Moreover, the possibility of cutting Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) funding threatens hospitals that serve low-income and uninsured patients.”
Representative David Valadao (R-CA), 2/19/25: “Until I know exactly what’s going to be in, or what this is going to look like, or at least have some pretty good idea, I’m really concerned with this… But it sounds like the president and myself and others are on the same page: We don’t want to touch Medicaid. We want to make sure that we’re all on the same page. If he’s on the same page as me, that makes me feel a little bit better about it.”
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), 2/19/25: “I still have my concerns. I appreciate the president’s comments on Hannity last night reaffirming his commitment to not cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, but I still need some clarity from my colleagues in the House on how we’re going to get to the numbers mandated in the resolution without cutting Medicaid in a way that impacts beneficiaries or my hospitals.”
Rep. David Valado (R-CA), 2/19/25: “[Will] Talk to leadership about making sure that we’re sticking to the president’s word, my word and others, that Medicaid was going to be left, at least for those who need it most, still be there and not affect those folks.”

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), 2/16/25: “It’s laudable to want to cut out fraud, waste and abuse, to cut out fat, eliminate inefficiencies and redundancies in the system,” Fitzpatrick recalled telling his colleagues behind closed doors. “But we still need to make sure that we maintain a social safety net for the people that need it. That’s becoming of American values.” About 14.5% of Fitzpatrick’s constituents are on Medicaid
Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R-PA), 2/14/25: “I ran for Congress under a promise of always doing what is best for the people of Northeastern Pennsylvania,” said Bresnahan in a statement Friday. “If a bill is put in front of me that guts the benefits my neighbors rely on, I will not vote for it. Pennsylvania’s Eighth District chose me to advocate for them in Congress. These benefits are promises that were made to the people of NEPA and where I come from, people keep their word.”
Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), 2/10/25: “I’ll be very blunt — Medicaid isn’t just something for people who don’t want to work or on welfare,” Van Drew said. “Seventy-million people in this country get their health care through Medicaid now, because we increased the limits.”
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), 2/6/25: “We’re not talking about in any way reducing benefits,” Johnson said recently as he discussed potential changes to Medicaid, along with Medicare and Social Security.
*Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA), 1/28/25: “They’re going to have to juxtapose massive tax cuts for wealthy people, while simultaneously cutting an initiative that 71 million Americans benefit from,” Neal said of Republicans. “I’m assuming that the [Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee] already has
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Punchbowl Midday, 1/7/25: Johnson was asked if Republicans plan cuts to entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare. The speaker said, “No.” “The president has made it very clear, Social Security and Medicare have to be preserved,” Johnson said. “And no one is coming in with the intention of cutting benefits in any way or anything. But we have to look at all spending and look at it very literally while maintaining those commitments. The Republican Party is not going to cut benefits.”
Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ), 4/24/24: “As I’ve said from day one in Congress, I’m committed to ensuring access to Medicaid to those who need it. That’s why I’m leading an effort with @RepMGP to make sure people with disabilities over 65 can continue to work while maintaining Medicaid benefits.”

Senate:

Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO), 4/29/25: “President Trump said, ‘We’re not cutting benefits,’” said Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo. “I just don’t think that that’s anything they’re going to contemplate. There could be reforms within the system. I think work requirements are probably the biggest and easiest target to go do.”
Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH), 4/29/25: “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.
Sen. Robert Clements (R-NE), 4/17/24: “Our current budget shortfall is $289 million, and we’re struggling to balance the budget,” said Nebraska Republican state Sen. Robert Clements. “Any further increases would be hard to absorb.”
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), 4/17/25: “Our rural hospitals depend on it as well, and they are already struggling because the state is holding up more than $100 million in emergency supplemental funding. So, the last thing I want to do is create more duress for our hospitals and providers or cut Medicaid for seniors, low-income families, people who are disabled, or those who cannot work.”
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), 4/10/25: “I’m not gonna vote for Medicaid benefit cuts. So if they want my vote here, then it won’t contain Medicaid benefit cuts.”
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), 4/3/25: “I’m concerned about the instruction to the House Committee for $880 billion, it’s the Energy and Commerce Committee in the House, which has jurisdiction over Medicaid, because I don’t see how you can get to that amount without cutting Medicaid benefits,” Collins told reporters. “In my state, there are more than 400,000 Mainers that rely on that health care program. Our rural hospitals depend upon it as well, and they are really struggling because of actions and inactions by the state Legislature. So the last thing I want to do is cut Medicaid for vulnerable people who are disabled or seniors who cannot work,” she said.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), 4/3/25: “…the House provisions that would ultimately lead to significant cuts in Medicaid are something that won’t work for me and Alaska….”
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), 4/2/25: We’re an expansion state.… We voted for it on the ballot, which is important, it’s not even like it’s a legislative deal,” Sen. Josh Hawley told Axios. “I would want to hear if that’s going to result in benefit cuts to Missourians. If it is, then I wouldn’t support that.”
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), 4/2/25: “You don’t want to put 600,000 people in the state out of an option that they’ve opted into,” he said, adding that he’d leave the door open to lowering the FMAP “over time.”
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), 4/2/25:”I’ve talked to my state folks about that. That would have a big impact on our state’s budget,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito told Peter, while noting she is “trying to stay open to all ideas right now.”
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), 4/2/25: “What state folks will tell you is if you take it from 90/10 down to whatever, 80/20, it’s like whoa,” Hawley said. “In Missouri we have a balanced budget amendment.… We’re going to have to cut something.”
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), 4/2/25: Asked if he was hearing from his state leaders on the issue, Hawley replied, “Oh yes, oh, believe me.”
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), 4/2/25: “The president said clearly, I was in the Cabinet room, we can’t harm beneficiaries,” Tillis said, pointing to the expansion enrollees in his state. “Well, you can’t have a policy that affects 600,000 people and not harm beneficiaries.”
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), 3/25/25: “The president made it very clear when we met two weeks ago to not touch a single beneficiary.”
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), 3/25/25: …[lawmakers needed to be] “careful” [on making any changes to the federal government’s payment responsibilities, calling it] “a backdoor way of affecting beneficiaries.”
Sen. Jim Justice (R-WV), 3/25/25: “I have concerns. We’ve got a lot, a lot, a lot of folks in West Virginia that really depend on Medicaid.”
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), 3/25/25: “I’m not gonna vote for something that cuts those folks’ benefits, period…That’s a red line for me, and I think it is for the president. And that’s good.”
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), 3/24/25: “My state of Alabama, it would really decimate, you know — 3 out of 5 kids in our state are on Medicaid. It’ll be a tough situation. We’ve got to find our way around it.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), 3/19/25: “[would not support a cut to Medicaid] that hurts our people or puts you in a budget hole.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), 2/26/25: “I feel like we are going back to the days of the ACA when I was trying to explain to colleagues how Alaska was so disproportionately impacted,” Murkowski, who helped kill ACA repeal, says when asked about cuts to Medicaid.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), 2/26/25: Asked about Medicaid cuts, Tillis pointed to his experience in the state legislature where he contended they made cuts to programs in an “orderly fashion.” “If you just do it cold turkey, there’s going to be a lot of unintended consequences that our members need to think through, whether it’s a red state or blue state,” Tillis said.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), 2/26/25: “I have shared with colleagues over here that our assessment of it is that the impact, once again, to Alaska, if we see the kinds of cuts that are being floated over on the house right now, could be devastating to Alaska.”
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), 2/22/25: “Large cuts to Medicaid would hurt a lot of people in my state — and we voted overwhelmingly for President Trump,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) said in an interview with HuffPost this week.
Sen. Jim Justice (R-WV), 2/22/25: “Do I really believe that President Trump is going to do something that is really detrimental to millions of seniors? I think I don’t believe it. I don’t believe that’ll happen at all,” he said.
Sen. Susan Collines (R-ME), 2/21/25: Sen. Collins backed a Democratic amendment “prohibiting tax cuts for wealthy Americans if any Medicaid funding is cut,”
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), 2/20/25: “I’m from a state that is heavily reliant on Medicaid. And, you know, I always look at it with a more focused eye,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. She said if the House passes its budget and sends it to the Senate, then “I think we’ll change it.”
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), 2/20/25: Sen. Hawley backed a Democratic amendment that would prohibit tax cuts for wealthy Americans if any Medicaid funding is cut.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), 2/19/25: “You’ve got to look at if it is worth the political struggle to do it,” Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa said in an interview. “Entitlements are difficult to deal with.”
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), 2/18/25: “I would not do severe cuts to Medicaid…I don’t like the idea of massive Medicaid cuts. We should have no Medicare cuts of any kind,” the senator added.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), 1/21/25: Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a key moderate vote who is not up for reelection this cycle, expressed the most concern about cuts. “I come from a state where Medicaid expansion has been really, really very key, so if it’s going to be part of reconciliation, [it’s something] I would be looking very critically at,” she said.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), 6/27/17: “I came to Washington to make the lives of West Virginians better. Throughout this debate, I have said that I will only support a bill that provides access to affordable health care coverage for West Virginians, including those on Medicaid and those struggling with drug addiction.”

Trump administration:

CMS administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, 4/25/25: “President Trump has been very clear with me and he has said it publicly…he wants to love and cherish..I am quoting him…medicare and Medicaid. We are focused on saving Medicaid. Thats what we’ve got to do, that’s the existential threat that you spend it into the ground and don’t have the resources to take care of our most vulnerable…”
President Donald Trump, 2/26/25: “It won’t be read my lips anymore, we aren’t going to touch it.”
President Donald Trump, 2/18/25: But, look, Social Security won’t be touched — other than if there’s fraud or something — we’re going to find it; it’s going to be strengthened — but won’t be touched. Medicare, Medicaid, none of that stuff is going to be touched.”
Dr. Oz, 2/4/25: “We have to take care of the most vulnerable among us. It’s a social calling for all of us…that funding freeze was not designed to affect Medicaid at all”
President Donald Trump, 1/31/25: Trump said we’ll “love and cherish” Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, the last of which insures more than 70 million Americans. “We’re not going to do anything with that…” Trump said. “The people won’t be affected. It will only be more effective and better.”

State leaders:

Brian Sigritz, National Association of State Budget Officers’ director of state fiscal studies, 5/7/25: …”states will either have to raise taxes, cut benefits or slash other programs in response to the slew of changes impacting their budgets.” “Sigritz said the impact will be ‘cumulative'”…”It’s clear states won’t be able to absorb the federal cuts and cost shifts in recent federal actions and congressional proposals…States are required to balance their budget, and states won’t be able to fill in the gap.”
Twelve Republican members of the Utah State Legislature, 4/8/25: As Congress looks for budget cuts in Medicaid at the federal level, we wanted to let you know that we oppose indiscriminate large cuts that would damage the Utahns who are served by Medicaid. Medicaid is a life-saving and essential health care program. It covers thousands of Utah’s children, people with disabilities, people in long-term care and people with low income. This program plays a pivotal role in Utah’s health care system. It reimburses hospitals and health care providers for providing dental care, prenatal care and other vital health care services.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, 3/28/25: “What we don’t know is what the federal government is going to do, and the federal government is paying virtually all of this expansion,” DeWine said. “Now if they change the numbers or they stop paying, then obviously we will have to make some very, very difficult choices that, frankly, we do not want to have to make.
National Governors Association (NGA) Chair Colorado Governor Jared Polis and Vice Chair Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, 3/6/25: “Without consultation and proper planning, Congressionally proposed reductions to Medicaid would impact state budgets, rural hospitals and health care service providers. It is necessary for Governors to have a seat at the table when discussing any reforms and cuts to Medicaid funding.”
Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo, 2/26/25: “Nevada has demonstrated that federal investment in the state’s Medicaid program has improved both health outcomes and productivity, yet challenges remain,” Lombardo wrote. “By leveraging federal funding the state has expanded access to school health services, lowered the uninsured rate, and made significant progress in enhancing behavioral health care for both children and adults.”
14 Republican state legislators in Minnesota, 2/20/25: “Minnesota has been a leader in providing access to care and containing costs and now stands vulnerable to unworkable funding reductions with some of what is being proposed in the federal budget. A move to a per capita cap or block grant program will be workable if the reduction is modest, manageable and accompanied by extreme flexibility. Too deep of a cut is unmanageable in any instance…Drastic reductions to Medicaid funding have the potential to impact the 1.4 million people we serve and place incredible pressure on our overall state budget. There are no other sources to make up the lost federal share beyond severely impacting the seniors and those with disabilities who we serve. This is contrary to how we Republicans respect the aged and the vulnerable.”

Other voices:

Former Indiana Representative Dr. Larry Bucshon, 3/18/25: “Of course, the president has said he does not want Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security beneficiaries to feel the impact of whatever changes would be made to any of those programs, and so I think that creates a challenge from the administration’s perspective. And I totally understand why the president takes that position.”
Kush Desai, 2/19/25: “The Trump administration is committed to protecting Medicare and Medicaid while slashing the waste, fraud, and abuse within those programs — reforms that will increase efficiency and improve care for beneficiaries.”
U.S. Conference of Mayors, National Conference of State Legislatures, etc., 2/19/25: “Medicaid accounts for over half of all federal funds to states and is the largest source of federal funding for state budgets, making it essential to states’ ability to design and administer healthcare programs that meet the unique needs of their populations. Preserving state flexibility and preventing significant funding cuts are both critical to ensuring Medicaid can be tailored to local priorities, as such cuts would severely limit this ability, forcing states to reduce services, restrict eligibility, or shift costs to local governments. These reductions would jeopardize access to affordable healthcare and long-term services and place an unsustainable financial burden on states and counties, which often serve as payers of last resort.”
Steve Bannon, 2/14/25: “Medicaid, you gotta be careful,” Bannon said on his Thursday podcast. “Because a lot of MAGAs are on Medicaid, I’m telling you. If you don’t think so, you are dead wrong.”
Patrick T. Brown, 2/13/25: “[Traditional GOP budget hawks see the current moment] as an excuse to do what they wanted to do all along, which is slash social security spending and, ideally, return to the days before the Affordable Care Act.” “You can say President Trump was elected on a mandate. But the mandate was not, ‘Let’s slash health care from working-class Americans.’”