search
Sections List
American Journal News

175 House Republicans vote for massive cuts to Medicare

They voted against a fix that would prevent automatic cuts to Medicare and other programs.

By Josh Israel - March 19, 2021
Share
Kevin McCarthy

The House of Representatives voted 246 to 175 on Friday to pass a technical fix that would prevent tens of billions in cuts to Medicare and other programs. 175 House Republicans opposed the effort.

Lawmakers voted on a bill, authored by Budget Committee Chair John Yarmuth, to waive automatic budget cuts triggered by a 2010 law designed to cut federal spending.

The American Rescue Plan, passed last week without a single Republican vote, will provide $1.9 trillion to help curb the coronavirus pandemic and remedy the economic damage it has wrought.

But because that plan will increase the federal budget deficit, the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act requires that cuts automatically be made to Medicare, farm subsidies, and other federal programs to offset some of its cost. According to a Congressional Budget Office estimate, this would mean $36 billion in Medicare reductions as well as and tens of billions in cuts to other things — unless Congress votes to stop them.

Yarmuth noted that similar legislation in the past has been nonpartisan, even when it has followed policy changes that have themselves been politically controversial.

“When Republicans used reconciliation to pass tax cuts for the rich, Democrats voted with them … [to] protect Medicare and other programs despite our strong opposition to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,” he wrote in a statement on Friday, March 12.

He warned that “if Republicans play political games and don’t do their jobs, Medicare and the seniors that depend on it will pay the price.”

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and more than a dozen other House Republicans cited the potential automatic cuts to Medicare as a major reason they opposed the $1.9 trillion relief bill.

“The American people deserve better than Biden and Pelosi’s political payoff scheme,” McCarthy (CA) tweeted on March 11. “It causes $36 billion in cuts to Medicare.”

But given a chance to fix it, all but 29 members of his caucus voted to allow those cuts to go into effect.

The bill will now go to the Senate, where it will require at least 10 GOP votes to advance to President Joe Biden’s desk for a signature.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


AJ News
Subscribe to our newsletter.
Read More
AJ News
Latest
House Republicans roll out new plan to decimate Medicaid

House Republicans roll out new plan to decimate Medicaid

By Jesse Valentine - April 24, 2025
Trump White House plans to garnish wages of student loan borrowers

Trump White House plans to garnish wages of student loan borrowers

By Jesse Valentine - April 22, 2025
Megadonor embroiled in ethics scandal gave thousands to Winsome Earle-Sears

Megadonor embroiled in ethics scandal gave thousands to Winsome Earle-Sears

By Jesse Valentine - April 21, 2025
“I Was Terrified To Get Pregnant Again After Having to Flee Tennessee for a Life-Saving Abortion”

“I Was Terrified To Get Pregnant Again After Having to Flee Tennessee for a Life-Saving Abortion”

By Bonnie Fuller - April 21, 2025
Goldman Sachs: Trump’s tariffs will lead to job losses

Goldman Sachs: Trump’s tariffs will lead to job losses

By Jesse Valentine - April 17, 2025
Democrats take stand for wrongly deported Maryland man

Democrats take stand for wrongly deported Maryland man

By Jesse Valentine - April 16, 2025
North Carolina law would make it illegal for Democratic AG to sue Trump

North Carolina law would make it illegal for Democratic AG to sue Trump

By Jesse Valentine - April 11, 2025
Older Americans suffer under Republican slash and burn policies

Older Americans suffer under Republican slash and burn policies

By Jesse Valentine - April 09, 2025
Scott Brown got Trump’s tariff plans for New Zealand very wrong

Scott Brown got Trump’s tariff plans for New Zealand very wrong

By Jesse Valentine - April 08, 2025
Trump admin canceled Social Security contracts to punish Maine governor

Trump admin canceled Social Security contracts to punish Maine governor

By Jesse Valentine - April 03, 2025
Senate Republicans vote to eliminate cap on overdraft fees

Senate Republicans vote to eliminate cap on overdraft fees

By Jesse Valentine - April 03, 2025
Forced to carry a dying baby, this Texas mother of four says she didn’t think it could happen to her

Forced to carry a dying baby, this Texas mother of four says she didn’t think it could happen to her

By Bonnie Fuller - March 28, 2025
Despite pleas from women and doctors, Texas may implement even more abortion restrictions

Despite pleas from women and doctors, Texas may implement even more abortion restrictions

By Bonnie Fuller - March 28, 2025
Trump’s antiwar claims don’t hold up in leaked group chat

Trump’s antiwar claims don’t hold up in leaked group chat

By Jesse Valentine - March 28, 2025
Frontline Republican governors cheer on Department of Ed closure

Frontline Republican governors cheer on Department of Ed closure

By Jesse Valentine - March 26, 2025
GOP-led legislatures ramp up abortion restrictions

GOP-led legislatures ramp up abortion restrictions

By Jesse Valentine - March 18, 2025
HHS slashes vaccine research, amplifies misinformation

HHS slashes vaccine research, amplifies misinformation

By Jesse Valentine - March 11, 2025
Senate Republicans scrap consumer protections for payment apps

Senate Republicans scrap consumer protections for payment apps

By Jesse Valentine - March 10, 2025
Rep. Don Bacon admits he voted for Medicaid cuts

Rep. Don Bacon admits he voted for Medicaid cuts

By - February 28, 2025
Trump admin cracks down on affordable weight-loss treatments

Trump admin cracks down on affordable weight-loss treatments

By Jesse Valentine - February 27, 2025
Republican lawmakers are lying about Medicaid fraud

Republican lawmakers are lying about Medicaid fraud

By Jesse Valentine - February 26, 2025
Trump’s education pick: schools may lose funds for teaching Black history

Trump’s education pick: schools may lose funds for teaching Black history

By Jesse Valentine - February 13, 2025