Defend Medicare and Medicaid from Cuts in the "One Big Beautiful Bill" Act (UPDATED 6/19)

Senate Republicans are finalizing their own version of H.R. 1, aka the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act, a bill focused on funding tax cuts for the wealthy by gutting critical programs like Medicaid and Medicare. Medicaid insures 72 million low-income and disabled Americans, while Medicare insures over 55 million people, primarily seniors.

Medicaid enjoys overwhelming bipartisan popularity. However, Senate Republicans’ budget proposal would make even deeper cuts to Medicaid than the House’s budget bill. The Senate proposal introduces broader Medicaid work requirements than the House bill, putting more people at risk of losing their coverage. The proposal also targets Medicaid expansion by capping provider taxes used to fund Medicaid in states that expanded Medicaid.

While Republicans have repeatedly promised to not directly cut Medicare, their megabill will also cause massive cuts to Medicare spending if the Senate bill does not reduce the bill’s impact on the deficit. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis of the House budget bill concluded the House bill’s tax cuts for the wealthy would trigger $500 billion in automatic Medicare cuts due to “PAYGO”, a budget rule that requires any reduction in revenue to be offset by cuts in other areas of the budget.

Medicaid and Medicare are essential sources of health care coverage. Cutting these programs to make the rich even richer will devastate local economies and worsen health and wellbeing. Demand the Senate oppose proposed cuts to both programs.