Josh Hawley Introduces Bill To Cancel Medicaid Cuts He Just Voted For
The bill would restore funding that states rely on to finance Medicaid, which Republicans put on the chopping block by passing President Donald Trump's so-called 'big, beautiful' tax and spending law. The measure passed on a party-line vote after months of debate and hand-wringing about taking health insurance away from vulnerable Americans ― including voters who supported Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
'President Trump has always said we have to protect Medicaid for working people. Now is the time to prevent any future cuts to Medicaid from going into effect,' Hawley said in a statement released by his office.
Hawley's bill also includes an additional $50 billion in support for rural hospitals ― up from the $50 billion already included in Trump's massive tax package. Rural hospitals are expected to bear the brunt of the cuts to Medicaid, most of which are scheduled to begin in 2028.
Lawmakers often introduce standalone bills to address pet issues that don't make their way into big spending packages like the one Republicans approved earlier this month. It's rare to see a member of Congress trying to undo something they voted for, especially if they had the power to change it before it squeaked by in a 50-50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance breaking the tie in its favor.
Hawley defended the move, however, pointing to other aspects of the bill he supported, like the extensions of the 2017 Trump tax cuts and support for victims of nuclear radiation.
'You can't get everything you want in one piece of legislation. I like a lot of what we did. I don't like some of it,' the senator told reporters on Tuesday.
Republicans delayed implementation of new 'work requirements' for Medicaid in the bill until 2027 and the changes to how the program is funded to 2028, which, at least in theory, will help them avoid a voter backlash in the 2026 midterm elections.
However, Democrats argue that the negative consequences of the legislation are already being felt, citing the expected closures of rural hospitals across the country.
'At least 300 rural hospitals are at immediate risk of closing because of this bill,' Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday. 'Not two years from now. Now, this week. Two weeks after the bill passed.'
'Hospitals in Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina and Maine have already announced that they're closing or in serious danger of closing – not in 2027, not in 2028, but soon,' he added.
Some conservative lawmakers in the House and Senate have also talked up an opportunity to pass another bill later this year under the same reconciliation process that requires only 51 votes in the upper chamber with even bigger cuts to Medicaid, including by limiting the expansion of Medicaid under the 2010 Affordable Care Act.
'What they are doing, that is just the start,' Schumer said. 'Republicans have made it clear: They want even deeper cuts to Medicaid.'
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