At least 10 moderate House Republicans have reached out to GOP leadership in the past 24 hours to express their opposition to the Medicaid cuts proposed as part of the party’s reconciliation package, three sources tell NOTUS.
Their frustration follows a push from Republican leadership to get members on board with the cuts to move their policy agenda forward. Leadership and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, led by Rep. Brett Guthrie, are considering lowering the percentage of Medicaid costs paid for by the federal government in states that expanded Medicaid — known as FMAP —and institute per capita caps. Moderates feel they’ve been ignored.
On Thursday, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise told a reporter he is confident moderates would get on board with the FMAP changes and per capita caps. Those comments sparked a private uproar from moderate Republicans, who say they never agreed to those numbers or expressed that to leadership.
Rep. Don Bacon told NOTUS “it is not the case” that moderate members are on board with leadership’s proposal.
“This is not representative of any conversations that the members representing majority making districts has had with leadership, leadership staff, E&C staff, chairman Guthrie,” one source familiar with the conversations texted NOTUS.
According to three sources with direct knowledge of the matter, at least 10 House Republicans have reached out to leadership to express their disapproval of Scalise’s comments and opposition to the proposed Medicaid changes.
“I disagree with what Scalise is saying, and a lot of us have been very clear about where we stand. And his comments frustrated a lot of us,” Rep. David Valadao told NOTUS.
One moderate Republican simply replied “no” when asked if they agreed with the proposed cuts. They said they had reached out and said this to leadership as well.
Another moderate House Republican texted NOTUS that “no mods are on board” with the proposed Medicaid cuts and that leadership has “a lot of work to do.”
“Leadership has had many open conversations with Members from all sides of the Conference on a pathway to reforming the Medicaid program to make sure it’s working for those it’s intended for, and those conversations will continue,” a spokesperson for Scalise said.
Moderates’ frustration is just the latest problem congressional leadership and the White House are facing as they try to get their reconciliation bill done.
Leadership is stuck in a complicated balance between fiscal hard-liners — who have pledged to block any bill that doesn’t meet their desired $1.5 trillion in cuts — and moderate members, many of whom fear a repeat of 2018’s midterm wipeout after a campaign centered on health policy.
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Reese Gorman is a reporter at NOTUS.