After 'Backroom Deal' to Make Medicaid Cuts Even Worse, GOP Passes Budget Bill Out of Committee

Republicans pushed their massive reconciliation bill through the House Budget Committee late Sunday after striking a deal with GOP hardliners who tanked a vote on the package late last week, complaining that the measure's proposed cuts to Medicaid and other programs were not sufficiently aggressive.

The final vote on Sunday was 17-16, with the four Republicans who voted against the bill on Friday switching their votes to "present," allowing the legislation to clear the committee.

Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, one of the Republicans who switched his vote, said during Sunday's hearing that he is "excited about the changes we've made"—prompting Democratic committee members to ask, "What changes?"

"Do not be fooled," Democratic Rep. Stacey Plaskett of the U.S. Virgin Islands said Sunday. "The 'no' votes from certain Republicans on Friday were because the cuts were not fast or deep enough. In the back room, Republicans agreed to deeper and especially faster cuts to programs."

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) wrote in a social media post after joining Norman in voting "present" that "after a great deal of work and engagement over the weekend," the legislation "now will move Medicaid work requirements forward and reduces the availability of future subsidies under the green new scam"—a reference to clean energy tax credits established by the Inflation Reduction Act.

Roy and other Republican hardliners are also reportedly pursuing changes that could force states to end their Medicaid expansions, which would strip coverage from millions and potentially kill tens of thousands of people per year.

In its current form, the Republican reconciliation bill would inflict the largest cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in U.S. history, slashing or eliminating benefits for millions by implementing strict work requirements and forcing many Medicaid recipients to pay more for coverage, among other changes—all while giving major tax breaks to the wealthy.

The legislation's Medicaid work requirements, which policy experts have condemned as cruel and ineffective, were slated to begin in 2029, but GOP hardliners want them to start immediately.

The changes sought by Roy, Norman, and other far-right Republicans must get through the House Rules Committee before the bill can reach the House floor. The GOP controls the panel, and both Roy and Norman are members.

Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.), the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, said following Sunday's vote that "Republicans have spent months lying about their plan to make the largest cuts to healthcare and food assistance in American history."

"Kicking 13.7 million people off their healthcare apparently wasn't enough for House Republicans," Boyle added. "The only reason this vote passed tonight is because they've plotted behind closed doors to hurt even more families while refusing to share this backroom deal with the American people. This fight isn't over, and we're going to make sure every American knows exactly how they've been betrayed by Donald Trump and the Republican Party."