GOP weighs health care moves to pay for Iran war

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: msn/Axios

1h


Republicans are considering reductions in federal health spending to help pay for a budget bill containing as much as $200 billion to fund the Iran war and immigration enforcement.

Why it matters: New efforts to rein in health programs are sure to be controversial and open the GOP up to election-year attacks that they're cutting health care to pay for an unpopular war.

Driving the news: Top House Republicans are looking at health care offsets addressing fraud in federal programs, as they did during last year's debate over the budget law that made deep cuts to federal Medicaid spending and imposed first-time work requirements.

"There's other items we're looking at right now, especially in the areas of fraud and waste and abuse that we're working through with our members," House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) told Axios

.

House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) is reviving an idea that was considered last year to fund Affordable Care Act payments known as cost-sharing reductions.

The Congressional Budget Office previously found the move would lower overall benchmark ACA premiums by 11% but result in 300,000 more uninsured people.

It would have the effect of cutting the subsidy amount that some enrollees receive, thereby increasing out-of-pocket premium costs, while saving the government over $30 billion.

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/gop-weighs-health-care-moves-to-pay-for-iran-war/ar-AA1ZIcxv

[SamKnause]

1. Fucking, evil, scum !!!!!!!!!

War mongering fascists Christian Nationalists.

[LymphocyteLover]

19. you took the words out of my mouth. These people are the fucking worst.

[Joinfortmill]

24. Yup, let's wipe 'em out in the midterms.

[raccoon]

2. Imagine that.

The leopards are becoming chonkers.

[enough]

3. Convenient. They get to do healthcare cuts they've always wanted.

And get their war.

America last.

[Irish_Dem]

4. Kill as many Americans as possible.

By any means possible.

[IronLionZion]

5. Fewer people means fewer people who need healthcare

MAGA efficiency is deadly

[Irish_Dem]

8. The rich are done with healthcare for the masses.

They are ushering in the era of AI and robots.
No humans need apply.

[IronLionZion]

10. Culling the herd

they got all the wrong lessons from COVID.

I miss the Biden era "nobody wants to work anymore"

[OldBaldy1701E]

14. And, may we all hope to live for the day when that backfires on them in a spectacular way.

Humans are necessary. The rich have tried for centuries to remove humans from their equation because humans expect to be compensated for their efforts. The rich cannot part with one cent of their wealth to help people (but they can easily part with loads of it for that twelfth mansion or that newest addition to the fleet of yachts), so they think that we can be replaced. And they are so sure of it that they are willing to allow as many of us to die due to greed and avarice as possible so that they don't have to part with one cent of that hoard that they possess.

The fact that they have managed to convince a portion of the population that this is a good idea is why I despair so much. Some of us are too fucking gullible.

TOO fucking gullible.

[Irish_Dem]

15. This planet and the humans on it are our most valuable assets.

The rich are too greedy and stupid to understand this concept.

[OldBaldy1701E]

21. I know.

The irony of ironies is that they refuse to accept that we put them there.

They would not exist without the rest of us.

That is some sadistic shit right there....

[Irish_Dem]

27. Yes they used us to make their fortune.

Now they don’t need us any more.

[Mblaze]

30. The rich have always been done with healthcare for the masses.

[SergeStorms]

6. They must already know.....

that the fix is in for the midterm elections. They must know TrumpCo. has everything in place to keep entire control of our government, or why risk doing stupid shit like this in an election year?

[niyad]

7. A most excellent point.

[Irish_Dem]

13. I think the same. The fix is in.

[Auggie]

18. Exactly

[Joinfortmill]

25. That is exactly where the danger lies. They are going to make it as difficult to vote as they can.

[twodogsbarking]

9. Bernie. Kamala. AOC. Others. They told us.

[ck4829]

11. Funny that our "partner" in this war still has universal healthcare though.

[Martin Eden]

12. How about rescinding the huge tax cuts for the filthy rich

Last edited Mon Mar 30, 2026, 10:12 AM - Edit history (1)

Then saving even MORE money by stopping this insane war?

[GiqueCee]

16. SIGH...

... once again it must be noted that there is no bottom to the Republican cesspool of greed, malice and depravity. The room-temperature IQs that vote for these evil sociopaths deserve whatever horrible fate befalls them; the rest of us do not.
My hatred for these malevolent monsters burns hotter than the surface of the Sun. May they die in agony, alone and despised by everyone who ever even heard their names, the sooner the better.
They are willfully destroying our country, and they will never, EVER be forgiven.

[C_U_L8R]

17. Trump's greatest war casualties will be us.

Our best chance may be culling the Republican infestation in these mid-terms.

[Bengus81]

20. Maga dipshits need to finally wake up. Trump bootlickers in Congress are going after

YOU too.

[azureblue]

22. anything but raise taxes on the rich

And revert the tax breaks the GOP have been doling out to the top bracket earners for decades.. No - let's make the people who are struggling to make ends meet take the hit...

[Joinfortmill]

23. 'Big mistake. Big.' See you at the polls, you fascist thugs.

[Ritabert]

26. If they want money for their war put a surtax on billionaires

Also a per transaction tax on the stock market.

[SamuelAdams]

28. Are they claiming they intentionally let fraud continue in last year's bill?

They chose not to eliminate tens of billions in fraud? Who will be dumb enough to buy that?

[Historic NY]

29. Raising the body count for derr Shithead

[Bayard]

31. Why is it always programs that benefit Americans that they go for?

We're already being bled dry.

[City Lights]

32. In GOP world the people come in dead last.

How about taxing the filthy billionaires?

[bmichaelh]

33. GoFundMe Healthcare in US

To some in the world, US Healthcare is a punch line.

Some call our Healthcare system the GoFundMe system.

I have been living with lymphoma for 35 years.

I am in my third remission and having maintenance treatments every 3 weeks.

My doctor thinks I will need treatment for rest of my life.

I have considered GoFundMe for myself.

[popsdenver]

34. LOL........200 Billion......LOL

Anyone remember, when Donnie Rumsfeld stood in front of everyone and said: The IRAQ war would only cost THREE Billion, and be over with in THREE days???????? Current accounting re: the IRAQ war has, to date, cost us TWO TRILLION DOLLARS and still counting......

[Akakoji]

35. Why aren't people in red states taking torches

To the billionaires keeps? This is so serious. Why isn’t the medium go apeshit over this? Why aren’t we making sure that every GOP elected official has no peace during their break?

[calimary]

36. They've been straining and screaming and yowling to do this

for as long as I’ve been aware of Republicans.

Republicans don’t want to help anybody.

Even more intensely, Republicans don’t want to HAVE TO help anybody.

And that’s about all anybody has to know about them.

[Stargazer99]

37. Taxpayer should stop paying for Reps health care now

[LetMyPeopleVote]

38. MaddowBlog-Republicans eye health care cuts to pay for U.S. war in Iran

Trump said recently that Republicans can “own” health care as an issue. Absurd at the time, the comments are suddenly worse.

A new Gallup poll found that 61% of Americans are worried “a great deal” about the cost/availability of health care, which should send a clear signal about the public’s priorities.

It’s a signal Republicans appear ready to ignore — by cutting health care to pay for Iran.
www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-03-31T13:09:47.388Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/republicans-eye-health-care-cuts-to-pay-for-u-s-war-in-iran

It was a couple of weeks ago when the White House first let Congress know that the administration is looking for an additional $200 billion on top of existing military spending to help cover the costs associated with the war with Iran. When Donald Trump was asked why he needed the money, the president told reporters early last week, “It’s always nice to have.”....

Broadly speaking, members have three options. They could simply decline to approve the additional spending, as most Democrats and even some Republicans are prepared to do. They also have the choice of passing legislation to spend the $200 billion, adding the costs to the nation’s budget deficit, which tends to be how modern military conflicts have been financed.

The third option, however, is the one that’s suddenly receiving the most attention: Lawmakers could approve the new spending, while cutting a comparable amount of existing spending to prevent a $200 billion increase in the deficit.

And where exactly would members find $200 billion? Axios reported:

Republicans are considering reductions in federal health spending to help pay for a budget bill containing as much as $200 billion to fund the Iran war and immigration enforcement.

New efforts to rein in health programs are sure to be controversial and open the GOP up to election-year attacks that they’re cutting health care to pay for an unpopular war.

....But that GOP officials are eyeing one unpopular idea (additional cuts to federal health care spending) to cover the costs of another unpopular idea (the ongoing war with Iran) is every bit as extraordinary as it appears. What’s more, that they’re considering these plans during an election year in which Republicans are already facing electoral headwinds looks an awful lot like political malpractice — and an unexpected gift to Democrats.....

A new Gallup poll found that 61% of Americans are worried “a great deal” about “the availability and affordability of health care.” That’s the most of any issue (51% are worried a great deal about the economy, and 50% about inflation) and it should send an unmistakable signal to policymakers about the public’s priorities.

With 31 weeks remaining before Election Day 2026, it’s a signal many Republicans appear ready to ignore.