In a heated congressional hearing on Tuesday, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) sharply criticized House Republicans’ proposed cuts to Medicaid, calling the plan “cruel” and “mathematically dishonest.”
“The math is not adding up,” Ocasio-Cortez declared. “They’re trying to convince people they are cutting millions of undocumented people from Medicaid, but their own numbers show 13.7 million people would lose coverage.” She challenged the GOP’s claim that one million undocumented immigrants are collecting Medicaid benefits, suggesting it does not justify the projected loss in coverage.
The congresswoman also condemned a provision in the bill that would block those removed from Medicaid from purchasing insurance on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchange. “This bill bans the people they kick off of Medicaid from even buying their own insurance,” she said. “It increases costs for low-income people they still deem eligible and forces them to pay more.”
Ocasio-Cortez warned that the damage wouldn’t be limited to Medicaid recipients. “If you have a private insurer, don’t worry—you’re getting screwed over too,” she said. “Your health care premiums are going to skyrocket from the disaster that is happening from this bill.”
The House GOP’s budget proposal, backed by former President Donald Trump, faces mounting criticism. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the plan would strip 8.6 million people of Medicaid access, with millions more losing health insurance by 2034 as additional protections expire. Critics say the bill is less a cost-saving measure and more an ideological attack on programs like the ACA and Medicaid, which serve low-income Americans.
The proposal also includes cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), making it harder for single parents to qualify, and grants Trump new authority over nonprofit organizations—raising further alarm among civil rights and public policy experts.
While some Republicans have voiced opposition to the Medicaid cuts, the bill continues to face intense scrutiny. With growing bipartisan concern, the fate of the legislation remains uncertain as lawmakers grapple with its wide-reaching consequences.
