Congress

Inside the House and Senate’s Standoff Over Medicaid

The House is poised to make sweeping Medicaid cuts. Republican senators say that won’t happen in their chamber. It’s unclear whether Republicans can find a middle ground that appeases everyone enough to pass the reconciliation bill.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune
Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune make statements to reporters at the Capitol. J. Scott Applewhite/AP

By Ursula Perano and Em Luetkemeyer

May 21, 2025 05:34 AM

House Republicans aren’t on the same page on Medicaid cuts. But they appear to be reading from an entirely different book than the Senate — and maybe even President Donald Trump.

On Tuesday, Trump told House Republicans not to “fuck” with Medicaid in the reconciliation bill. It should have been a rough wake-up call for conservatives, who want Medicaid rollbacks to pay for their newfound policy initiatives, though many seemed to be interpreting Trump’s comments in creative ways.

But Trump’s warning was welcome news to a number of Senate Republicans already skeptical of the House GOP’s Medicaid provisions.