Republicans need to cut Medicaid to hit budget savings target, CBO finds

Hill March 5, 2025
Nathaniel Weixel

Republicans can’t achieve their goal of slashing $2 trillion in federal spending over the next decade without cutting Medicaid, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

In a report released Wednesday, CBO found that the government spends $381 billion on programs other than Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) that are under the jurisdiction of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

That’s a problem for House Republicans, who are looking to slash $880 billion from programs in the committee’s jurisdiction to help pay for an extension of President Trump’s tax cuts and border enforcement funding.

One of the prime targets is Medicaid, the joint federal and state-funded program that provides health coverage to more than...

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