As Donald Trump and Republicans struggle to find funds for an illegal and unpopular war that has spiraled out of their control, they look again health care financing as a possible target for spending cuts.
Last week, political reported that House budget chairman Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) has raised the possibility of adding additional defense spending to an upcoming reconciliation bill and offsetting the increase through cuts to “state and social programs.” The Pentagon is seeking $200 billion from Congress to pay for the ongoing war between the United States and Israel against Iran.
axios confirmed the report on Mondays. “There are other elements that we are looking at right now, especially in the areas of fraud, waste and abuse that we are working on with our members,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) told the publication, inviting the kind of language that Republicans have used in the past to justify their attacks on health care funding.
The so-called Big Beautiful Bill that Republicans passed last year cut more than $1 trillion from Medicaid and health care spending, and is expected to cost millions their health insurance. Trump and the GOP claimed the legislation’s cuts to Medicaid and other social safety net programs were in service or get rid of the “fraud” of government spending. In reality, most adults who receive Medicaid already work, fraud is rare, and most Medicaid fraud that occurs is committed by suppliersnot the people who were ultimately kicked out of their plans. Republicans in Congress also last year allowed higher health care subsidies for health care plans purchased through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). expirecausing premiums to expire and millions more to lose their health care.
Republicans plan to once again direct financial assistance to ACA plans. According an evaluation By the Congressional Budget Office last year, when a similar measure to target cost-sharing reductions was considered but ultimately left off the table, the cuts now proposed would result in 300,000 more Americans losing health care coverage and an increase in out-of-pocket costs for some ACA plan holders. This is in addition to the 14 million Americans already expected to lose coverage by 2030 as a result of the Big Beautiful Bill.
Rep. Arrington’s office did not immediately respond to a request or comment from Rolling stone.
Despite pressure from hardline Republicans to comply with the Defense Department’s request, additional funding for the armed conflict with Iran is not universally popular within the Republican Party.
“I’m not for war, so I’m not for funding more war,” said Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.). he told MS NOW. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) has publicly stated that she will vote “no” on any additional aid for the iran war. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) said he would need to see the administration. articulate clear goals for the conflict before authorizing a “blank check.” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) echoed similar concerns. “It begs the question: How long do they plan to be there? What are the goals? Is this the first $200 billion? Will it become a trillion?” he said in an interview with CNN.
The war against Iran is very unpopular: more than 60 percent of the country disapproval of the conflict. That figure is expected to rise as the economic consequences of the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz spread to domestic and international markets. He possibility The fact that Trump could directly deploy US service members for an on-the-ground invasion of Iran is also unlikely to boost his numbers. But Republicans, unable to publicly oppose the demands of the administration to which they have sworn loyalty, are once again willing to punish their own constituents for their follies.
