A major fight has been brewing in the D.C. circuit. It could bring the federal government to its knees.
Because Congress just introduced a bill that’s causing a civil war in Washington, D.C.
Congress Introduces A Trump-Backed Medicaid Plan to Save Billions and Prioritize Americans
House Republicans are pushing a transformative proposal to reshape Medicaid, aiming to save taxpayers billions while ensuring the program serves those who need it most. The plan, which includes strict work requirements for able-bodied adults, has sparked fierce debate in Washington. Backed by the incoming Trump administration, the initiative is framed as a necessary step to curb waste and restore fiscal responsibility to a strained entitlement program.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) revealed Wednesday that at least 3.5 million individuals could lose Medicaid coverage under the GOP’s proposal. The plan mandates that most able-bodied Americans work, volunteer, or attend school for at least 20 hours a week to remain eligible. Republicans argue this ensures Medicaid remains a safety net for the truly vulnerable, not a handout for those capable of self-sufficiency.
“We are protecting Medicaid for the people who need and deserve it,” Speaker Mike Johnson declared Tuesday at a House GOP leadership press conference. His words resonate with the Trump administration’s focus on prioritizing American citizens over what they call bloated, mismanaged programs. Johnson emphasized that Medicaid should serve “pregnant women, single mothers, low-income seniors, the disabled,” not those gaming the system.
The GOP’s vision is clear: Medicaid must be sustainable. “These are reforms to ensure to restore and preserve the system so that it doesn’t collapse on itself,” Johnson continued. He pointed to measures like excluding illegal immigrants from coverage and enforcing work requirements to stop “adults who can work but refuse to” from exploiting the program. This aligns with President Trump’s agenda to tighten federal spending while safeguarding essential services.
Under the proposal, able-bodied, childless adults aged 19 to 64 would need to prove they are working, job-hunting, volunteering, or in school for at least 80 hours a month. This shift in eligibility standards is projected to save $300 billion over seven years, according to a partial CBO estimate released by House Republicans. The savings would ease the burden on taxpayers, a key promise of the Trump-backed agenda.
Critics, particularly Democrats, have slammed the plan as harsh, but Republicans counter that it’s about fairness. The work requirements won’t take effect until 2029, a timeline that has drawn ire from conservative lawmakers who argue the reforms are overdue. They see the delay as a concession that weakens the urgency of fixing a program riddled with inefficiencies.
The push for work requirements isn’t new. Four Trump administration officials, in a New York Times essay published Wednesday, urged Congressional Republicans to extend similar mandates to both Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Their call reinforces the administration’s commitment to policies that encourage self-reliance and reduce dependency on government aid.
House Energy and Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie has been a vocal defender of the reforms. On Tuesday, he called them “commonsense policies that will return taxpayer dollars to middle-class families.” Guthrie’s stance echoes the Trump administration’s emphasis on rewarding hard-working Americans rather than subsidizing those who choose not to contribute.
Guthrie clarified the scope of the work requirements, noting they would only apply to “able-bodied adults without dependents who don’t have a disqualifying condition.” He framed the policy as a pathway to independence, encouraging people to re-enter the workforce and take control of their futures—a message that resonates with Trump’s economic vision.
Public support for the GOP’s plan is strong. A February 2025 poll by KFF, a health policy research firm, found that more than six in ten Americans, including 47% of Democrats, back work requirements for “nearly all adults” to qualify for Medicaid. This suggests the policy taps into a widespread desire for accountability in entitlement programs.
The poll also showed support surging to 77% when voters learned that work requirements would prioritize Medicaid for vulnerable groups like seniors, low-income children, and Americans with disabilities. This aligns with the GOP’s argument that the program must focus on those who truly need it, a principle championed by Trump’s team.
The CBO’s preliminary estimates project that 7.6 million people could be uninsured by 2034, including 1.4 million illegal immigrants, under the GOP’s draft budget. Republicans see this as a necessary trade-off to protect the program’s integrity and ensure it serves American citizens first.
“President Trump and Republicans are protecting Medicaid—and that starts with kicking 1.4 million illegal immigrants off the program to prioritize the Americans who need it,” White House Spokesman Kush Desai told the Daily Caller News Foundation Wednesday.
House Republicans have sharply criticized Democrats for opposing the reforms. They accuse their colleagues of defending a status quo that allows “able-bodied adults who refuse to work” to burden the system. This rhetoric reflects the GOP’s broader strategy to frame Democrats as out of touch with working-class Americans.
The divide was evident when Republican Texas Rep. August Pfluger pressed Democratic California Rep. Raul Ruiz on whether Congress should institute work requirements for Medicaid. Ruiz’s response was blunt: “No.” His dismissal, met with a curt “That’s an easy one,” reveals the deep partisan rift over the program’s future. House Republicans, bolstered by Trump’s support, are positioning their Medicaid overhaul as one important step toward fiscal discipline and fairness.
