Governor Katie Hobbs signed a $17.6 billion bipartisan budget Friday, narrowly avoiding a government shutdown and marking another year of steady spending increases under her administration. The new fiscal package includes funding increases for K-12 education, Medicaid, border security, and public safety—features that align closely with Hobbs’ original proposal but reflect bipartisan compromises with a Republican-led legislature.
On Sunday’s edition of Meet the Press, Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) called for sweeping reform of the Medicaid program, citing stark disparities in enrollment versus poverty levels. “We are cutting the waste, fraud and abuse, and I want to use the word abuse,” Mullin said. “There’s 35 million people that live under the poverty line inside the United States, yet 70 million on Medicaid — it is unsustainable.”
The House-passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act includes a controversial provision that could punish fiscally conservative red states while rewarding big-spending blue states such as California and New York. The bill proposes a freeze on healthcare provider taxes—fees levied on hospitals and nursing facilities to fund Medicaid—which could hinder states that have exercised tax restraint.
Pennsylvania Senators John Fetterman and Dave McCormick faced off in a televised “Senate showdown” hosted by Fox News, exchanging views on key issues while maintaining a friendly, respectful tone.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press that the Republicans’ “big, beautiful” spending bill contains no cuts to Medicaid, despite Democrat claims to the contrary. Johnson made it clear that the plan aims to reform, not slash, the program.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced 22 new indictments Tuesday in a massive Medicaid fraud scheme that cost taxpayers tens of millions and devastated vulnerable communities across the state. The case centers around fraudulent sober living homes, including Happy House Behavioral Health LLC and Hope of Life International Church.
House Republicans are advancing legislation aimed at reforming Medicaid by enforcing stricter eligibility requirements, including the removal of approximately 1.4 million undocumented immigrants currently enrolled in the program.
House Republicans are advancing legislation that would block an estimated 1.4 million illegal aliens from receiving taxpayer-funded Medicaid, sharpening the divide with Democrats who continue to defend the unpopular policy. The provision is part of the GOP-led budget reconciliation bill and was approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee after a lengthy markup session.
Rep. Mark Harris (R-NC) has voiced strong support for immediate Medicaid reforms, emphasizing the need to prioritize vulnerable populations over able-bodied adults. In a recent interview, Harris criticized the current system for its unsustainable trajectory and called for the implementation of work requirements to preserve Medicaid for those it was originally intended to serve.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. lauded President Donald Trump on Thursday for signing a landmark executive order aimed at slashing the cost of prescription drugs, calling it a historic moment in U.S. healthcare policy. Kennedy, a longtime Democrat, said it was “an extraordinary day” and praised Trump as the first president with the courage to defy Big Pharma’s grip on Washington.
