In their proposal to avoid a partial government shutdown, Republicans are being accused by Democrats of attempting to undermine federal health care programs.
On Tuesday, members of the House are likely to vote on the bill, which is a continuing resolution (CR) that essentially extends the present levels of government funding. In order to prevent the shutdown of government programs and the furloughing of tens of thousands of employees, it must be signed into law by President Trump and passed by the Senate by the end of Friday, March 14.
The president has personally asked every Republican congressman to back the measure.
But Democrats have launched a fierce resistance movement against the bill. This goes against the grain of liberal political tradition, which often involves scores of politicians voting to keep the government open.
Republicans have refuted the accusations made by Democratic leaders that their package will cut Medicare and Medicaid funding.
Healthcare, SNAP, and $23 billion in veteran benefits are all carelessly reduced in the political House Republican budget plan. Worse still, the bill puts the American people through further hardship this fiscal year without protecting Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security. It was announced on Saturday night by House Democratic leaders that they would be voting no.
House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) addressed a letter to members on Friday criticizing the CR, prior to its release.
“House Democrats would enthusiastically support a bill that protects Social Security, Medicare, veterans health and Medicaid, but Republicans have chosen to put them on the chopping block to pay for billionaire tax cuts,” according to them.
In order to fund their extravagant tax cuts for contributors like Elon Musk, Republicans are proposing to take away healthcare and retirement benefits that average Americans rely on for their survival. We cannot support this plan. We will not budge from Medicaid.
A top Republican staffer in the House said that Democrats were “intentionally misleading the American people.”
They are being dishonest with their pre-baked claims, the top aide told AWN Digital. “The Democrats came out against the bill before there was even text.”
Even while Trump has made it clear he does not want Congress to alter Medicaid, he has kept the door open to reducing “waste, fraud and abuse,” a rhetoric that Republican legislators have repeated.
Keep in mind that obligatory government programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid do not get a dime out of the annual legislative allocations that the CR covers. These programs necessitate adjustments to the federal budget, which Republicans are concurrently addressing through the reconciliation process.
One aspect that has concerned certain interest groups, such as the American Medical Association (AMA), is that the bill fails to address the anticipated reductions in payments to doctors who serve Medicare beneficiaries.
“Physicians across the country are outraged that Congress’s proposed spending package locks in a devastating fifth consecutive year of Medicare cuts, threatening access to care for 66 million Medicare patients,” Bruce A. Scott, AMA Chair, stated on the organization’s online platform.
Some Democrats may still vote in favor of the measure, probably from legislators in competitive districts who are afraid of taking the fall for a government shutdown. On Monday night, when the House Rules Committee is anticipated to vote on the bill’s advancement, Republicans will have to take the lead.
A “rule vote,” which occurs in per session of the House, is necessary for a bill’s passage; these votes often follow party lines.
By Tuesday afternoon, the House is certain to have voted on the bill in its final form.
Government spending remains steady at FY 2024 levels until the beginning of FY 2026 on Oct. 1, according to the 99-page legislation that was revealed over the weekend.
To appease national security hawks, the measure would reduce non-defense expenditure that Congress appropriates each year by around $13 billion and increase defense spending by $8 billion.
Additionally, there are additional funding to assist with the activities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
House GOP leadership aides said that cuts to discretionary spending on areas other than military could be achieved by rescinding some “side deals” reached during the FRA discussions. Also, lawmakers would not be able to use earmarks, a term Republicans use to describe savings, to ask for money for pet projects in their districts.
That way, Republican leaders may say they won the fight against substantial increases to federal spending beyond FY 2025.