Speaker to Newsmax: Reform, Don't Chop, Medicaid

House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday said Medicaid has "never been on the chopping block" for any budget proposal, but conceded that the House wants to find "nonbenefit related reforms to the program."

"Medicaid is infamous for fraud, waste, and abuse," Johnson said in response to Newsmax's Kilmeny Duchardt during a press conference. "By some estimates, large percentages of the dollars that are allocated there are wasted and stolen. And so we do right to go into those programs and find that and show the people what's happened and make sure it doesn't happen again."

Johnson added that if "fraud, waste, and abuse" could be eliminated in Medicaid, "you've got a huge amount of money that you can spend on real priorities for the country."

His comments came after reports that cuts to some parts of Medicaid could be included in the budget, while lawmakers seek to cut spending by up to $2.5 trillion.

The House and Senate are at odds over passing a budget bill that includes items connected to President Donald Trump's agenda, including spending on border security, energy policy, and tax cuts.

Some Republicans, though, say they are concerned that cutting Medicaid and making changes to other programs while pushing for tax cuts for rich Americans will cause intense political fallout, reported Punchbowl News.

"I'll be very blunt — Medicaid isn't just something for people who don't want to work or on welfare," said Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J. "Seventy million people in this country get their healthcare through Medicaid now, because we increased the limits."

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