In a startling revelation aired on MSNBC, House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) reacted with disbelief after learning that President Donald Trump reportedly does not understand that his own proposed legislation includes nearly $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, a program he insists should remain untouched.
MSNBC anchor Alicia Menendez presented Clark with findings from a recent NOTUS report that suggest Trump may be unaware of the sweeping impact of the bill he’s actively promoting. “Representative Clark, you may be able to count among the Americans who don’t understand why Republicans would do some of these things, the president himself,” Menendez stated.
“This headline absolutely stopped me in my tracks today. This is from NOTUS: ‘Trump still doesn’t seem to have a firm grasp of what his signature legislative achievement does. According to three sources with direct knowledge of the comments, the president told Republicans at this meeting that there are three things Congress shouldn’t touch if they want to win elections: Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security.’”
Menendez then added the damning detail: “‘But we’re touching Medicaid in this bill,’ one member responded to Trump, according to the three sources.”
Clark, clearly taken aback, responded bluntly: “It certainly seems that is the case. I mean, how can he not know that this bill cuts one trillion, with a T, dollars out of Medicaid? That is going to be, between that and the cuts to the ACA, 17 million Americans who are going to have their health care ripped away from them.”
She continued to lay out the broader implications of the legislation. “But it goes on,” Clark said. “Because of formulas, it will cut half a trillion from Medicare. This is something Donald Trump has pledged over and over that he will never touch. And meanwhile, they continue to erode the Social Security Administration, all with the goal: you break it so you can rob it.
So those three pillars, he says, they will never touch, are directly and cruelly and devastatingly impacted in this bill.” The report has sparked a fresh round of criticism from Democrats and public policy advocates, who argue the proposed legislation not only contradicts Trump’s long-standing promises but also threatens critical lifelines for millions of Americans.
As the bill moves through the House, the controversy over its contents—and the president’s grasp of them—may significantly impact Republican efforts to rally support ahead of the next election cycle.