Senate Republicans open the door to cutting Medicare 'waste' in Trump agenda bill

WASHINGTON — Looking astatine caller ways to wage for their sprawling bill for President Donald Trump’s home agenda, Republicans are exploring ideas to slash “waste, fraud and abuse” successful Medicare, respective senators said Thursday.

And President Donald Trump has blessed the pursuit, they said.

“I deliberation thing that tin beryllium — that’s waste, fraud and maltreatment are unfastened to, obviously, discussions,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters.

He said that Republicans person chiefly looked astatine Medicaid to find savings but that they’re unfastened to looking astatine different programs, too.

“The focus, arsenic you know, has been connected addressing waste, fraud, maltreatment wrong Medicaid and, but close now, we’re unfastened to suggestions that radical person them astir different areas wherever determination is, you know, clearly, waste, fraud and maltreatment that tin beryllium rooted retired successful immoderate authorities program,” Thune said.

Medicare has historically been seen arsenic governmental 3rd rail, a programme members of some parties person been wary of touching successful fearfulness of backlash from older voters.

But Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., said they shouldn’t beryllium acrophobic of cutting discarded successful Medicare.

“Why don’t we spell aft that? I deliberation we should,” Cramer said.

“Some radical are acrophobic of the topics; I’m not,” helium added, noting that they would absorption connected waste, fraud and abuse. “In my view, this is our infinitesimal arsenic Republicans successful power of each 3 branches, and we ought to beryllium going aft much fiscal responsibility. And immoderate radical are making that case. Other radical are wringing their hands.”

Senate Republicans said that they discussed the contented during a closed-door gathering and that it besides came up with Trump erstwhile Republicans connected the Senate Finance Committee met with him Wednesday.

“What the president made wide is [he] does not privation to spot immoderate cuts to beneficiaries. But to spell after, helium repeated implicit again — the waste, fraud and abuse, the waste, fraud and abuse,” Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., said.

The discussions unfastened up a argumentation statement that could person explosive governmental ramifications. Medicare is simply a highly fashionable programme that provides wellness security to radical implicit 65 years old, and Democrats are already launching attacks connected the caller GOP discussions astir making changes to the program.

“A programme that 66 cardinal Americans trust connected is not waste, fraud, oregon maltreatment — it’s lifesaving for the constituents of Republicans pushing to gut Medicare,” Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said successful a connection Thursday. “Let’s beryllium crystal clear: Donald Trump gave Republicans the greenish airy to gut entree to lifesaving medicine and rip distant wellness security to money taxation handouts for billionaires. These unsafe attacks are arsenic disgraceful arsenic they are unpopular — and volition outgo Republicans their seats travel the midterms.”

GOP leaders are searching for ways to little the outgo of the measure passed by the House, which the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projects would adhd $2.4 trillion to the nationalist indebtedness implicit the adjacent decade. It includes Medicaid and wellness spending cuts that Republicans picture arsenic “waste, fraud and abuse,” which the CBO estimates would effect successful 10.9 cardinal less radical having insurance.

Still, immoderate blimpish senators importune connected mitigating the reddish ink to ballot for the bill. And it’s unclear however narrowly oregon broadly Senate Republicans would specify “waste, fraud and abuse” erstwhile it comes to Medicare.

There is skepticism successful the GOP astir pursuing that path.

“What a unspeakable idea. We should not beryllium touching Medicare,” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said, recalling that trying to chopped status spending has burned the Republican Party successful the past.

“In 2004 President Bush got re-elected and promptly tried to privatize Social Security, and Republicans didn’t triumph the fashionable ballot for 20 years,” Hawley said. “So if you don’t ever privation to triumph an predetermination again, conscionable spell fiddle astir with people’s Medicare that they’ve worked hard for, paid into.”

Hawley launched akin criticisms erstwhile Republicans began going aft Medicaid for savings, but helium said helium supports astir of the spending cuts successful the House-passed bill, including the enactment requirements and eligibility rules.

The talks astir Medicare came arsenic quality to immoderate Republicans.

“I haven’t heard immoderate treatment of cutting Medicare. That’s a captious programme that radical person earned their benefits for, and I’m not going to accidental never, due to the fact that possibly there’s immoderate waste, fraud, abuse, benignant of language, but I surely would not enactment cutting Medicare benefits,” Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, told reporters.

The White House didn't instantly reply to a petition for remark connected what circumstantial Medicare changes Trump favors.

A imaginable enactment senators mentioned is simply a bipartisan measure that would “improve the mode Medicare Advantage plans measure patients’ wellness risks and trim overpayments for care,” according to a statement of the legislation. The bill, called the "No UPCODE Act," is co-sponsored by Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.

A caller CBO report said the policies successful the measure could prevention $124 cardinal implicit 10 years.

“To accidental it has bipartisan enactment is an underestimate,” Cassidy told NBC News. “I deliberation that would beryllium a tenable mode to support it, don’t chopped benefits, you’re taking attraction of patients, but you’re trying to rescue the program.”