House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said Friday on CNN’s The Source that he sees “bipartisan opportunity” to address Medicaid cuts recently enacted by Republicans, despite skepticism about whether the GOP would undo legislation it just passed.
Host Kaitlan Collins pressed Jeffries on whether Democrats truly believe Republicans would roll back the Medicaid funding reductions included in President Trump’s major spending package. While some Senate Republicans have signaled openness to negotiating on health care subsidies, the Medicaid issue has become a flashpoint.
Jeffries framed the cuts as both a moral and political liability for Republicans:
“Donald Trump promised, I think it was on January 30, that he was going to love and cherish Medicaid. And then they turned around, passed their one big ugly bill, and enacted the largest cut to Medicaid in American history, along with stealing food from the mouths of children.”
He argued the motivation behind the legislation was to “reward their billionaire donors with massive tax breaks,” a move he described as deeply unpopular with the public. According to Jeffries, Republicans are already feeling political blowback as health facilities in their districts are shuttering:
“Hospitals, nursing homes, and community-based health clinics in our communities are closing. We told them that was going to happen. Now they’re starting to see the consequences.”
While GOP leadership has stood by the spending bill, Jeffries emphasized that Democrats see an opening to forge bipartisan fixes, particularly as constituents pressure Republicans to address local health care disruptions.
“Yes, we do think that there’s some bipartisan opportunity to deal with their assault on Medicaid and all of the things related to the health care of the American people,” Jeffries concluded.
With a government shutdown looming and negotiations intensifying, the battle over Medicaid cuts could become a decisive test of bipartisan cooperation in Congress.
