LIZ PEEK: Democrats are squealing over latest Trump plan to cut wasteful spending for one reason

Everyone supports cutting authorities spending, until idiosyncratic really begins to chopped authorities spending. Then, each Hell breaks loose. 

Why? Because with a $6 trillion national budget, acold excessively galore politicians and activists (and donors and universities and corporations) person their hands successful the till. As Senator John Kennedy, R-La., has memorably said, erstwhile you commencement to chopped the fat, the pigs volition squeal.

On cue, Democrats are squealing. It turns retired that they payment from immoderate of the wasteful spending being exposed by the Trump White House, arsenic monies designated for addressing clime change, for instance, inappropriately travel to leftist deliberation tanks and non-profits. 

Thanks to the enactment of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Americans are getting a speedy acquisition connected the "soft" corruption corroding our government. It is not pretty. In his code to Congress, President Trump listed respective idiotic expenditures of authorities monies; studies connected transgender mice (which CNN and others wrongly claimed didn’t exist) received a batch of attention, and rightly so. Those disclosures   may beryllium wherefore a caller Rasmussen canvass shows two-thirds of the state hold that it’s clip to "drain the swamp."  

Democrats disagree; successful an effort to undermine Elon Musk and President Donald Trump, they are fearmongering, informing voters that DOGE oregon Republicans successful Congress are going to slash Medicaid benefits. President Trump is connected grounds saying his authorities volition not chopped that program, but volition analyse fraudulent payments.

DEMS WEAPONIZE MEDICAID ANXIETY IN BID TO TAKE DOWN TRUMP-BACKED FEDERAL FUNDING PLAN

House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, precocious said the GOP House spending measure would "set successful question the largest Medicaid chopped successful American history." New York Representative Mike Lawler disputed Jeffries’ claim, saying "show maine wherever successful the fund solution it talks astir circumstantial cuts. It doesn't." Lawler is correct, but Democrats importune that the plan’s $880 cardinal expected chopped successful spending from programs nether the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s jurisdiction, similar healthcare outlays, beryllium the programme volition beryllium gutted. 

The information is that simply rooting retired fraudulent payments from Medicaid (and Medicare) would spell a agelong mode towards providing that benignant of savings. Last year, the GAO reported "improper payments" from national Medicaid outlays amounted to $51.3 cardinal successful 2023 (and Medicare’s improper payments totaled different $51 billion). The Medicaid figurewas importantly higher successful anterior years, and lone fell due to the fact that of "flexibilities granted to states during the COVID-19 nationalist wellness emergency." In 2021, fraudulent payments totaled $103.4 cardinal and successful 2022 totaled $83.1 billion. The GAO warns the improper payments complaint is apt headed higher. 

Medicaid spending has much than doubled implicit the past decade, contempt existent median incomes expanding by 14% and the poorness complaint plunging from 14% to 11.5%. There were 48.3 cardinal Americans surviving successful poorness successful 2013 successful the U.S.; by 2022 that fig had dropped to 41.9 million. Given that Medicaid is chiefly a programme targeting low-income Americans, the numbers  do not marque sense.

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One crushed that Medicaid has grown truthful rapidly is that President Obama and past President Joe Biden instituted changes that encouraged enrollment expansion. When Barack Obama took bureau successful 2009, determination were 51 cardinal Americans receiving Medicaid; by the extremity of his presidency, determination were 74 million, a emergence of 45%. Obama encouraged greater information by loosening enactment requirements for receiving Medicaid. President Trump allowed states to reimpose that request during his archetypal White House term; arsenic a consequence, successful part, the fig of enrollees successful Medicaid hardly budged, rising from 74 to 76 million. Had it not been for the COVID outbreak, the fig would apt person stagnated nether Trump. 

Former President Barack Obama pauses arsenic helium speaks during Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) successful Chicago, Illinois, U.S., August 20, 2024.  (REUTERS/Alyssa Pointer)

President Biden, successful the twelvemonth earlier helium expected to tally for a 2nd term, pushed done rules changes that importantly accrued Medicaid’s enrollment and costs, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services. The CMS estimated the national outgo of Biden’s rules astatine betwixt $68.5 cardinal and $134.8 cardinal implicit 5 years. One regularisation weakens the eligibility requirements of enrollees successful portion by mandating that authorities Medicaid programs discount pensions, annuities and status funds successful determining income levels.

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In addition, immoderate states, similar New York, person allowed amerciable immigrants to person Medicaid; that has boosted the numbers arsenic well. 

Why bash Democrats enactment to grow Medicaid? Because, similar immoderate different benefit, recipients often reward authorities officials for their expected generosity, indifferent to the costs. Democrat-run New York, for example, spent $94.6 billion on Medicaid successful fiscal 2023, oregon much than $4,800 for each resident; that was 82% supra the nationalist average. The authorities unsocial paid retired $1,800 per capita connected Medicaid, much than treble the U.S. mean of $835. 

Readying their absorption to trimming the program’s out-of-control outlays, Democrats invited Medicaid beneficiaries to be Trump’s code to Congress, hoping to item their dependence connected the program. During the speech, Democrats chanted and waved lollipop signs that said "SAVE MEDICAID;" as it happened, their embarrassing shenanigans – and particularly their sullen refusal to applaud a young crab unfortunate oregon a hostage brought location from Russia - drowned out their message.

They volition not stop, however. Progressive mouthpiece Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said connected Instagram aft the speech: "Trump not mentioning Medicaid astatine the State of the Union is the game. He doesn’t speech astir it, what helium fears, and helium knows it’s dynamite." 

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It really whitethorn crook retired to beryllium dynamite, an explosive contented favoring Republicans. A caller survey by pollster Scott Rasmussen reveals that "71% of voters enactment reducing maturation of Medicaid spending by removing amerciable immigrants and requiring able-bodied recipients to work. 88% of Republicans and 51% of Democrats backmost the proposal." 

If adjacent a majority of Democrats agrees that Medicaid spending has to beryllium curtailed, the mandate for betterment is stark.  My view: chopped spending that astir everyone agrees is "unsustainable" and fto them squeal.

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