Proposed GOP budget could leave millions of Heartland residents without Medicaid

Plus, Oklahoma Republican says prohibiting hitting disabled kids is ‘socialism’ and ‘violation of scripture’

With the passage of a budget resolution this past Tuesday, House Republicans have set in motion legislation that could potentially cut billions of federal funding from Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) — all while paving the way for $4.5 trillion in tax cuts for the wealthiest households.

The resolution instructs lawmakers on the Energy and Commerce Committee to find $880 billion to excise from their budget. This money would likely come from programs like Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Indeed, GOP lawmakers could slash hundreds of billions from both programs, impacting the 92 million Americans insured through these federal insurance initiatives. 

The cost of such austerity would directly impact those in the Heartland. In states like Missouri, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, about one-in-five residents receive healthcare through Medicaid. In Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio, the number is closer to a quarter of all residents. 

And in Kentucky, the number sits near a third, with some 30% of those residing in the Bluegrass State dependent on Medicaid for coverage. The damage would fall specifically on low-income areas like Kentucky’s 5th district, where cost cutting would lower Medicaid enrollment by roughly 95,000. 

While the legislation does not specifically mention Medicaid, the Energy and Commerce Committee will find it difficult to meet the $880 requirement without touching Medicaid — especially since President Donald Trump has explicitly said Medicare is off the table. Meanwhile, Speaker Mike Johnson called Medicaid “hugely problematic.” 

In response, House Republicans with large Hispanic populations urged Johnson to reconsider his stance. “Nearly 30% of Medicaid enrollees are Hispanic Americans, and for many families across the country, Medicaid is their only access to healthcare,” Republicans involved in the Congressional Hispanic Conference wrote in a statement. 

“Slashing Medicaid would have serious consequences, particularly in rural and predominantly Hispanic communities where hospitals and nursing homes are already struggling to keep their doors open. Moreover, the possibility of cutting Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) funding threatens hospitals that serve low-income and uninsured patients.”

On Tuesday, Oklahoma state Sen. Shane Jett (R-Shawnee) took the Senate floor to advocate against a bill to limit corporal punishment in public schools, calling it a “violation of scripture.”

Senate Bill 364 would prohibit the use of corporal punishment against students “identified with a disability.” Jett, who is the chair of Oklahoma’s far-right freedom caucus, argued that not using corporal punishment against children is a socialist idea because it was popularized by the left-wing pediatrician Dr. Benjamin Spock in the 1980s.

“[The bill] is in violation with scripture and ideologically aligned with socialist ideology that should not be part of this body’s legislative initiatives,” Jett said.

Jett expanded by citing Proverbs 22:15, which states, “folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.”

Fellow freedom caucus member Sen. Dusty Deevers (R-Elgin) voiced concerns about stripping rights away from parents and opposed the removal of a “historically necessary and important disciplinary tool for order.”

Despite Jett and Deevers’ efforts, the Oklahoma Senate passed the bill by a 31-16 vote on Tuesday. It will have to pass in the Oklahoma House of Representatives before it goes to Governor Kevin Stitt’s desk. Last year, a similar bill died in the House after passing in the Senate.

Jett has served in the state legislature since 2004, first as a Representative from 2004-10 and as a senator since 2020.