House Republicans are celebrating Medicaid reform in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which the House GOP says eliminates waste, fraud and abuse to deliver for Americans who need coverage most.
Meanwhile, Democrats have railed against possible Medicaid cuts since President Donald Trump was elected in November. Now that his “big, beautiful bill” has passed in the House of Representatives, Democrats are defining Medicaid cuts as a driving issue ahead of competitive midterm elections in 2026.
Republicans say there is more to the story.
“The One, Big Beautiful Bill puts Americans first. We’re securing the border. We’re protecting benefits for the most vulnerable. We are investing in American manufacturing. We’re investing in our own energy production,” Rep. Erin Houchin, R-Ind., told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview.
“The Democrats have been focusing on this specific line of attack that 13.7 million Americans are going to lose their health care, and that’s just blatantly false.”
DEMOCRATS PREDICT PASSING TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ WILL COST MANY REPUBLICANS THEIR SEATS
Rep. Erin Houchin, right, is speaking out against Democrats’ rhetoric about Medicaid cuts. (Getty Images)
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a nonpartisan analysis for the U.S. Congress, estimates that 8.6 million people in the United States will lose health insurance by 2034 through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s Medicaid reform.
“Five million of those people are receiving a tax credit under the Affordable Care Act that was passed by the Democrats with a sunset date that was implemented by the Democrats. We’re simply allowing the sunset date to expire as the Democrats originally intended,” Houchin said.
DEMS WARN HOUSE REPUBLICANS WILL PAY PRICE AT BALLOT BOX FOR PASSING TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’
CBO estimates that 13.7 million Americans will lose coverage by 2034, which also includes the 5 million Americans who were already set to lose coverage. A number of Democrats have already deployed the figure in campaign messages rejecting Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” passing in the House.
“I don’t trust the CBO score, nor should the American people, because it’s been proven again and again to be wildly off,” added Houchin, who served on three major committees leading budget markup, including the House Rules, Budget and Energy and Commerce committees.
The American Accountability Foundation, a conservative government research nonprofit, found that of the 32 staff members on CBO’s Health Analysis Division, 26 of them have “clearly” verified liberal partisan biases, as a Democrat donor, registered Democrat or a Democratic primary voter, as Fox News Digital reported this month.
Speaking with Fox News Digital, Rep. Erin Houchin defended Medicaid reform in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. (Getty Images)
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act does not cut Medicaid for the most vulnerable, according to Houchin. Instead, she says targeting waste, fraud and abuse in the Medicaid program cuts benefits to illegal immigrants, those ineligible to receive benefits who are currently receiving benefits, duplicate enrollees in one or more states and those who are able-bodied but are choosing not to work.
“If you have to think about the four things that we’re doing in Medicaid to strengthen it, we’re removing anybody that is illegal, ineligible or duplicate, and we’re ensuring that able-bodied adults, on the expansion population, have a very modest work requirement, in exchange for receiving benefits. Those things are overwhelmingly supported by the American people, yet the Democrats continue to lie about what this bill is actually doing,” Houchin said.
Republicans say they are cleaning up the program to ensure working families and the most vulnerable Americans can rely on the program for generations to come.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks to the media after the House narrowly passed a bill forwarding President Donald Trump’s agenda at the U.S. Capitol on May 22, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
“What we’re trying to do is protect precious Medicaid dollars for those who need it most,” Houchin said. “That’s what we’re doing. No one in the traditional Medicaid population needs to worry. And even if you’re in the able-body expansion population, there are many opportunities to comply to participate in Medicaid.”
However, Democrats have already designated Medicaid cuts as a defining issue in 2026.
“House Republicans’ giant tax scam will kick millions of people off their health insurance,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) spokesperson Viet Shelton told Fox News Digital. “It is fact. Independent analysts say it. Health care professionals say it. Hell, even Republican senators say so. Their saying anything to the contrary is just them trying to protect their already in danger majority.”
After weeks of negotiating through budget reconciliation, House Republicans finally reached a consensus and passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last week. The bill passed just 215 to 214, and all Democrats voted against it. Republicans’ slim majority managed to deliver a legislative win for Trump.
President Donald Trump departs the White House on May 22, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
However, the “big, beautiful” fight is far from over as the Senate is tasked with drafting their own version of the bill. Senate Republicans have indicated they do not support the bill in its current form.
“I don’t want to see rural hospitals close their doors because funding got cut. I also don’t like the idea of a hidden tax on the working poor. That’s why I’m a NO on this House bill in its current form,” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said.
The sweeping, multitrillion-dollar legislation advances Trump’s agenda on taxes, immigration, energy, defense and the national debt. The bill includes Trump’s key campaign promises, including no tax on tips and overtime, and it seeks to permanently extend his 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
“By passing the largest cut to Medicaid in history, Republicans are ripping away health care from millions of Americans and levying a de facto hidden tax on working-class families,” DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene said in a statement after the bill passed. “Now that vulnerable Republicans are on the record voting for it, this betrayal of the American people will cost them their jobs in the midterms and Republicans the House Majority come 2026.”
Medicaid recipient Emily Gabriella protests outside the U.S. Supreme Court on April 2, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
While Democrats target vulnerable Republicans for supporting Medicaid reform in Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” Republicans are taking aim at Democrats for voting against the bill’s tax cuts.
“House Democrats voted for the largest tax increase in generations while giving taxpayer-funded freebies to illegal immigrants. The NRCC will make sure voters don’t forget how they betrayed working families,” National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC) spokesman Mike Marinella said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
As House members return to their home states and communicate with constituents during the congressional recess, the NRCC is encouraging House Republicans to go on the offense on Medicaid reform.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“We’re encouraging all of our caucus, our conference members to continue to communicate with the local and national media to reiterate what we know to be true about this One Big Beautiful Bill,” Houchin said.
“It puts Americans first and will ensure that these programs will be around for the next generation, because we’re not wasting any tax dollars, any precious benefits on people who are illegal, ineligible, enrolled in multiple states or are able-bodied and could be working. These programs were designed for our most vulnerable Americans, and the One Big Beautiful Bill protects benefits for those people.”
Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.