'Right down the line': Medicaid reform in 'big, beautiful bill' divides lawmakers by party

Medicaid betterment successful President Donald Trump's "big, beauteous bill" has drawn a partisan enactment done Congress. 

Democrats person railed against imaginable Medicaid cuts since Trump was elected, portion Republicans person celebrated Medicaid reform done the reconciliation process arsenic an businesslike mode to destruct waste, fraud and maltreatment successful the payment program. 

Fox News Digital asked lawmakers from some ends of the governmental spectrum to respond to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act's Medicaid reform. The results were arsenic expectedly divided. 

"This is each B.S., what the Democrats are doing," Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., told Fox News Digital. "They're pushing the docket that we're cutting 10 cardinal radical disconnected Medicaid. It's radical that really shouldn't beryllium connected it, illegals that shouldn't beryllium connected it. We're reforming it."

GOP RAILS AGAINST 'BLATANTLY FALSE' DEM CLAIMS ABOUT MEDICAID REFORM IN TRUMP'S 'BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL'

Democrats person rejected Medicaid betterment successful President Donald Trump's "big, beauteous bill." (Getty/AP)

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a nonpartisan national bureau that has been ridiculed by Republicans, estimated this week that Trump's "big, beauteous bill" would permission 10.9 cardinal radical without wellness insurance, including 1.4 cardinal who are successful the state without ineligible presumption successful state-funded programs.

But Republicans are holding firm successful their defence of Medicaid reform, which Republicans accidental lone cuts benefits to amerciable immigrants, those ineligible to person benefits who are presently receiving benefits, duplicate enrollees successful 1 oregon much states and those who are capable but choosing not to work. 

"The radical who would not proceed to get Medicaid benefits nether this measure were not qualified to get them successful the archetypal place," Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., told Fox News Digital. 

TRUMP'S 'BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL' FACES RESISTANCE FROM REPUBLICAN SENATORS OVER DEBT FEARS

President Donald Trump and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speech with reporters aft a House Republican Conference gathering connected the fund reconciliation measure astatine the U.S. Capitol May 20, 2025.  (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Democrats proceed to dependable disconnected connected the healthcare menace of eliminating 10 cardinal radical from Medicaid. Not a azygous House Democrat voted to walk Trump's championed legislation, which includes fulfilling cardinal run promises similar cutting taxes, immigration reform and American vigor production. 

"These burdensome regulatory requirements for proving that idiosyncratic has obtained oregon sought enactment are going to mean millions of radical volition spell without healthcare, and the restrictions connected nutrient assistance are arsenic an obstacle to radical gathering their mundane needs," Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said. 

Blumenthal added helium is "very, precise acrophobic astir these seemingly cruel and unproductive ways of raising wealth simply to concern taxation cuts" for "wealthy billionaires."

New Jersey Democratic Sen. Andy Kim said helium is blessed to person an "honest conversation" astir authorities ratio and redeeming payer dollars, but that's not the world of this bill. 

Congressional Democrats held a rally and quality league to denote their absorption to a Republican program to chopped Medicaid successful the Cannon House Office Building connected Capitol Hill May 13, 2025, successful Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

"People are struggling, and I consciousness like, successful the richest, astir almighty state successful the world, we should beryllium capable to marque definite that radical tin person the basal needs they request to beryllium capable to survive," Kim said of Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. 

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., told Fox News Digital determination is "nothing beautiful" astir Trump's "big, beauteous bill."

"This is horrific, and it adds monolithic amounts to our debt, compromising our quality to [fund] the fundamentals successful the future, foundations for families to thrive — wellness care, housing, education, good-paying jobs. That's what we should beryllium doing here, not doing monolithic taxation cuts for billionaires and paying for them by tearing down programs for mean families," Merkley said. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

The nationalist indebtedness stands astatine much than $36.2 trillion arsenic of June 5, according to the Fox Business, based connected information from the Treasury Department.

The CBO's study this week besides estimated Trump's measure volition chopped taxes by $3.7 trillion portion raising deficits by $2.4 trillion implicit a decade. 

Fox News' Anders Hagstrom and Eric Revell contributed to this report.