'it Just Baffles Me': Senate Republicans Sound Alarm Over Medicaid Changes, Spending In Trump Megabill

Senate Republicans are steadily moving on successful their quest to beforehand President Donald Trump’s "big, beautiful bill," but immoderate stay dissatisfied pinch 1 of nan astir important portions of nan package.

The Senate Finance Committee unveiled its information of nan fund reconciliation package Monday nighttime that deals straight pinch making nan president’s first-term taxation cuts imperishable and nan much arguable projected changes to Medicaid, niche taxation issues and Biden-era greenish power subsidies.

Senate Republicans met down closed doors to get a clang people connected nan bill, and immoderate near distraught complete provisions they hoped they would spot connected nan cutting room floor. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., tin only spend to suffer 3 votes successful nan precocious chamber.

SENATE PANEL NAVIGATES DELICATE COMPROMISES ON MEDICAID, TAXES IN LATEST CHUNK OF TRUMP'S MEGABILL

President Donald Trump speaks pinch reporters while flying aboard Air Force One en way from Calgary, Canada, to Joint Base Andrews, Md., precocious Monday, June 16, 2025.  (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

And owed to nan quality of fund reconciliation, which allows lawmakers to skirt nan filibuster, he can’t count connected Democrats, who would request superior changes to nan broader legislation, to thief get nan package crossed nan line.

The changes to nan Medicaid supplier taxation rate, which were a stark departure from nan House GOP’s type of nan bill, peculiarly ruffled feathers among Republicans who person warned not to make revisions to nan healthcare programme that could unopen down agrarian hospitals and footwear moving Americans from their benefits.

"I want changes," Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said. "I'm still not satisfied pinch wherever we are connected Medicaid."

'IT'S WRONG': HAWLEY WARNS SENATE GOP NOT TO BOOT AMERICANS FROM MEDICAID IN TRUMP MEGABILL

Senate Majority Leader John Thune is signaling that changes are apt to nan House's type of President Trump's "big, beautiful bill." (Getty Images)

The Senate Finance Committee went further than nan House’s frost of nan supplier taxation rate, aliases nan magnitude that authorities Medicaid programs salary to healthcare providers connected behalf of Medicaid beneficiaries, for non-Affordable Care Act description states, and included a proviso that lowers nan complaint successful description states annually until it hits 3.5 percent.

To date, 41 states and Washington, D.C., person opted into nan Medicaid description program. The thought down nan changes to nan supplier complaint taxes was to thief salary for Trump’s mammoth measure successful portion and discourage nan remaining states from opting into Medicaid description .

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., argued, for a authorities for illustration his dotted pinch agrarian hospitals, that nan measure "is not a bully development" for their survival. 

BLUE STATE REPUBLICANS THREATEN REVOLT AGAINST TRUMP'S 'BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL' IF SENATE CHANGES KEY TAX RULE

"I mean, it's really not," he said. "And successful bid to salary for accrued subsidies for nan Green New Deal? I mean, it conscionable baffles me."

The Senate’s type of nan taxation package does adhd much elasticity to greenish power taxation credits than nan House’s, an rumor pushed for by a fistful of Senate Republicans who wanted to spot nan truncated phase-out of nan credits successful nan House measure slowed down.

Senate Republicans met pinch Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz Tuesday day to talk nan Medicaid tweaks successful nan bill. Oz said nan White House did "not believe" changing nan supplier taxation would power nan expertise of hospitals to enactment viable. 

"In fact, nan supplier taxation and nan state-directed payments are often utilized to salary institutions that person nan champion connections to nan authorities of nan state, not needfully nan hospitals that request nan thief nan most," he said. "It is important that we cleanable up this system."

Dr. Mehmet Oz, nan recently sworn-in Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator, speaks during a ceremonial successful nan Oval Office astatine nan White House April 18, 2025, successful Washington. (Andrew Harnik)

Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., sought to extinguish anger among his colleagues, noting that Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, and Senate leaders were still moving connected what nan last merchandise would look like.

"Everybody's sewage an opinion, and I deliberation it's gonna beryllium that measurement correct up until we vote," he said.

Fiscal hawks were not pleased pinch nan bill, either.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., has stumped for a return to pre-COVID-19 pandemic era spending, a gouge to national spending that would beryllium trillions of dollars much than nan unsmooth extremity of $2 trillion successful spending cuts that immoderate Senate Republicans are eying.

He believed location was "no way" that nan existent parts of nan broader reconciliation package could beryllium fixed and stitched together by nan Senate GOP’s self-imposed July 4 deadline.

"The problem is it conscionable simply doesn’t meet nan moment," he said.

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But Crapo cautioned he and lawmakers were still moving retired nan kinks and that a solution to his colleagues’ issues could still beryllium found.

"All I tin opportunity is that we will activity it out," Crapo said. "We person to activity that out, not only among our colleagues successful nan Senate, but pinch nan House and pinch nan White House."