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Senate Republicans Pass Amendment to Safeguard Medicare and Medicaid

On Friday, Senate Republicans successfully supported an amendment to their budget resolution that aims to protect Medicare and Medicaid programs. The amendment, led by Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), was approved by a narrow margin of 51-48.

This move marks the first significant proposal during the ongoing vote-a-rama, a series of rapid-fire votes leading up to the finalization of a budget plan that outlines President Trump’s domestic priorities, including the extension of existing tax cuts.

Senator Sullivan’s amendment emphasizes actions concerning Medicaid, stating that these efforts “may include strengthening and improving” the program, which primarily serves the most vulnerable individuals in society.

Despite these intentions, Republicans face criticism for allegedly using the budget resolution as a means to undermine entitlement programs like Medicaid in favor of financing tax cuts, with the potential aim of making such cuts permanent.

The overall budget resolution directs the House Energy and Commerce Committee to achieve a deficit reduction of $880 billion. Experts have raised concerns that reaching this target without significant cuts to Medicaid is highly improbable.

Some Republicans argue that any proposed reductions to these vital programs are aimed solely at eliminating “waste, fraud, and abuse,” rather than directly affecting beneficiaries’ services.

However, moderate Republicans, particularly those from states with a substantial population reliant on Medicaid, are expressing unease over the implications of these potential cuts.

Every Republican senator, except for two—John Curtis and Mike Lee, both from Utah—voted in favor of the amendment. Their opposition underscores the division within the party regarding the future of entitlement programs during the budget reconciliation process.

This amendment initiation represents merely the first round in a lengthy saga of voting, which is expected to extend late into Saturday morning. While the Sullivan amendment comes from the Republican side, it is anticipated that many amendments in the process will be proposed by Democrats, aiming to force GOP members to officially record their positions on several contentious issues.

Interestingly, no amendments were adopted during the previous vote-a-rama on an initial Senate budget proposal earlier this year, highlighting the contentious atmosphere surrounding current fiscal discussions.

Source
thehill.com