Congressional Budget Office finds House GOP budget goals would require Medicaid cuts
Source: CBS News
Updated on: March 6, 2025 / 2:03 PM EST
Washington — An analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office that was sent to lawmakers this week showed that budget goals outlined in a House GOP plan could not be reached without reducing spending on Medicaid, clashing with commitments from Republicans not to cut the popular entitlement program.
House Republicans adopted a budget proposal last week that serves as a blueprint for implementing President Trump's agenda. The resolution must be adopted by the Senate before the chambers can move forward with the budget reconciliation process, a complicated maneuver that allows Congress to bypass the 60-vote threshold typically required in the Senate. But opponents of the resolution have warned that the proposed cuts implicate key programs that Americans rely on, concerns that the CBO analysis backed up.
Republicans want to cut at least $1.5 trillion in spending over a 10-year period to pay for trillions in tax cuts, while increasing funding in some areas. The budget resolution directs congressional committees to craft their own proposals to hit spending targets, increasing or decreasing funding by adjusting programs and policies that fall under their purview.
The Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees Medicaid, is tasked with finding at least $880 billion in cuts over the next decade. A pair of House Democrats asked the CBO for the projected mandatory spending on programs under the committee's jurisdiction, excluding Medicare, which offers health coverage for seniors. Medicaid provides government-sponsored health care for low-income Americans, with costs split between the federal government and the states.
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/house-republicans-budget-medicaid-cbo/
Link to Congressional Budget Office (CBO) REPORT site - Mandatory Spending Under the Jurisdiction of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce
Link to Congressional Budget Office (CBO) REPORT (PDF) - https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2025-03/61235-Boyle-Pallone.pdf