House Budget Bill Could Slash Medicaid: See How NJ Reps Voted

This article was updated at 11 p.m. on Feb. 26

NEW JERSEY — President Donald Trump got his wish: approval of a “big, beautiful” spending bill. But his critics are warning that it could pave the way for massive tax breaks to the wealthy – and deep cuts for programs like Medicaid.

On Tuesday night, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 217-215 to approve a preliminary federal budget bill. The vote took place almost completely along party lines: only one Republican voted “no.”

New Jersey’s nine Democratic House members voted against the bill, and the state’s three Republican House members voted for it:

• YES – Tom Kean Jr., Chris Smith, Jeff Van Drew
• NO – Herbert Conaway, Josh Gottheimer, LaMonica McIver, Rob Menendez Jr., Donald Norcross, Frank Pallone Jr., Nellie Pou, Mikie Sherrill, Bonnie Watson Coleman

The House spending plan calls for $2 trillion in cuts to the federal budget. While it doesn’t specifically target Medicaid, the bill directs the House Energy and Commerce Committee –which oversees Medicaid – to cut $880 billion over the next 10 years.

Other agencies being ordered to trim their budgets include the Education and Workforce Committee ($330 billion), the Agriculture Committee ($230 billion) and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee ($10 billion). Read More: Medicaid Cuts, Billionaire Tax Breaks: NJ Reaction To House Budget

Meanwhile, the bill sets the table for $4.5 trillion in tax breaks over the next decade – extending Trump’s controversial 2017 revamp of the federal tax code – as well as a $300 billion increase in spending for border enforcement and defense. See Related: Trump Tax Cuts: Were They A Win Or Loss For New Jersey?

Tuesday’s vote isn’t the final step in the budgeting process. The U.S. Senate passed their own version of the bill last week. Now, the two chambers of Congress will have to hammer out a compromise version through a process known as reconciliation – and take another vote.

The House vote represents a major win for Trump, who remarked that it paves the way for his “full America First Agenda – everything, not just parts of it.” The president said that the passage of the House budget would move Congress towards “one big beautiful bill.”

During his first Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Trump said there are no plans to touch Medicaid. Some of New Jersey’s Democratic House members are dubious about that claim, however.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill said the spending plan would dismantle Medicaid, cut food assistance for vulnerable communities and strip funding from public schools – all while giving tax handouts to billionaires like Elon Musk and adding $3.3 trillion to the national deficit.

“Washington Republicans may tell you they are not cutting Medicaid — but don’t be fooled … They are cutting $880 billion from Medicaid,” the congresswoman said. “And let me be clear about what that actually means: there are nearly two million New Jerseyans — including 800,000 children — who rely on Medicaid for health care coverage.”

The spending plan would also cut fund for food assistance, despite the rising cost of groceries, she said.

• See Related: If Trump Won’t Lower Grocery Prices – We Will, NJ Democrats Say

“I’m all for making government more efficient, but not for creating chaos and slashing programs that millions of Americans depend on,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer said.

“This budget plan is a complete disaster for hardworking Jersey families,” Gottheimer added. “Instead of making life more affordable, far-right extremists are screwing over Jersey seniors and families with their reckless proposal.”

Rep. LaMonica McIver said Tuesday was an “extremely sad day.”

“The spending bill that House Republicans gleefully passed tonight will devastate seniors, veterans, families, and people across New Jersey and the country with trillion dollar cuts to essential services,” McIver said, pointing to a recent report from the Democratic Budget Committee.

On the flip side of the coin, Rep. Smith said that the bill will help the nation tackle its $36 trillion debt — as well as its interest payments.

“Yearly interest payments on the debt alone will rise to $952 billion in 2025 and will climb to over $1 trillion in 2026—and that interest payment will total $13.8 trillion over the next decade,” Smith said. “This means the federal government already spends more on debt servicing than it does on defense spending or Medicaid.”

Smith said the bill passed Tuesday is only a blueprint.

“After extensive conversations with colleagues and House leadership, I have received commitments that we will seek to cut waste, fraud, abuse, and misdirected spending while protecting Social Security and Medicare and critical safety net programs like Medicaid that New Jersey’s seniors and most vulnerable–including individuals with disabilities– desperately need and rely upon,” Smith added.

SLASHING GOVERNMENT SPENDING

Even as they press ahead, Republicans are running into a familiar problem: Slashing federal spending is typically easier said than done. With cuts to the Pentagon and other programs largely off limits, much of the other government outlays go for health care, food stamps, student loans and programs relied on by their constituents.

Medicaid is the primary comprehensive health and long-term care program used by 1 in 5 Americans, and accounts for nearly $1 out of every $5 spent on health care, according to KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation), an independent provider of health policy research, polling and news.

Some lawmakers have worried that scope of the cuts being eyed — including Medicaid cuts or a $230 billion reduction to the agriculture committee that funds food stamps — will be too harmful to their constituents back home.

That worry wasn’t enough to convince Congress members such as Rep. Jeff Van Drew to vote against their Republican peers, however.

In the days leading up to Tuesday’s session, Van Drew – who chaired Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign in New Jersey – said he was considering a vote against the bill due to the potential Medicaid cuts.

“Working class people receive Medicaid as they are working,” Van Drew said. “This is not just lazy people who are sitting around not doing their job.”

Eventually, the congressman fell in line with other GOP House members and voted yes on the bill.

“As much as I wanted to see a different budget resolution, I ultimately voted for it because it is essential to move the budget process forward so real negotiations can begin,” Van Drew explained.

“Let me be clear: I will not cut Medicare, Social Security or Medicaid,” he continued. “As we head into the next phase, I will fight like hell to ensure we safeguard these critical programs while also addressing our deficit, ensuring President Trump's agenda can be funded, and cutting wasteful spending.”

Van Drew said that he has had “numerous one-on-one conversations” with the president on this matter, and that the two are “on the exact same page on this important issue.”

Meanwhile, other Republican House members from New Jersey are seeing blowback from advocates for their “no” vote on Tuesday.

“There are 44,000 living, breathing New Jerseyans who needed Tom Kean to stand up for them and protect their health insurance,” American Bridge 21st Century spokesperson Nico Delgado said.

Nearly 7 percent of Kean’s constituents in New Jersey’s 7th District are on Medicaid or CHIP, and nearly 11,000 people in the district have used SNAP, the group stated.

“He decided that tax cuts for billionaires were a higher priority,” Delgado said. “Voters will not forget.”

Eric Benson of the For the Many coalition also blasted New Jersey’s three GOP House members for their votes on Tuesday.

“New Jersey families are already facing rising costs on essential things like food and gas, yet Representatives Jefferson Van Drew, Christopher Smith and Thomas Kean Jr. just voted for a budget that would gut Medicaid, slash food assistance and put clean energy jobs at risk – all to extend tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations,” Benson charged.

• See Related: Half Of NJ House Members Vote Against Huge Military Spending Bill

Tuesday’s vote took place as Musk continues to rip through federal agencies with his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), firing thousands of workers nationwide.

• See Related: Free Tax Filing In New Jersey Faces Challenge From Elon Musk
• See Related: NJ Congresswoman Explains Controversial Comments On Trump, Musk

This article contains reporting from the Associated Press

Clarification: A previous version of this article contained a typo involving "Medicare." We apologize for any confusion.

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