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Energy and Commerce Committee’s Medicaid problem just got tougher

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It was always going to be tough for House Energy and Commerce Chair Brett Guthrie to rally his members around cuts to Medicaid; his job could soon get even harder.

The House GOP budget blueprint unveiled Wednesday would direct several congressional committees to achieve at least $1.5 trillion in spending cuts across programs under their panels’ purviews — necessary to offset a party-line, budget reconciliation bill to enact President Donald Trump’s domestic agenda.

The Energy and Commerce Committee has been told to find at least $880 billion in savings, or more than half of that total amount, to pay for a massive package that would extend expiring tax cuts, beef up border security and expand American energy production. It’s a far larger number than many House Republicans had originally anticipated.

The bulk of those savings will have to come from making changes to Medicaid, which currently insures more than 70 million Americans. And, in an interview Wednesday, Guthrie acknowledged that one major savings option probably won’t have the support to pass the House.

That’s per-capita caps, under which the Medicaid would be paid for based on population instead of being an open-ended entitlement. It could lead to hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts, and has been raised in the past as one of the biggest possible cost-saving measures on the table.

“I’d personally love per-capita allotments for Medicaid,” said Guthrie, a Kentucky Republican. “I’m not sure we’re going to be able to get 218 votes for that.”

The House Budget Committee still needs to mark up, and approve, the budget resolution, which it intends to do on Thursday; then, the full GOP-led House needs to advance it, with just two votes to spare. But assuming all goes as planned, it could present an even steeper challenge for Guthrie, who was already preparing for a struggle to get committee members to make cuts to the popular health safety-net program — even at more modest levels.

The task could also expose moderate Republicans, many of whom have been working behind the scenes to avert significant cuts to Medicaid among other social safety-net programs, to Democratic attacks.

“This is a heartless and cruel proposal that will ruin people’s lives so the rich can get richer,” Energy and Commerce ranking member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) said in a statement Wednesday. “It’s a Republican Rip-Off and Democrats will do everything we can to defeat it.”

Guthrie said Wednesday his members need more time to discuss specifics of what policies could be targeted to reach the $880 billion savings goal, but suggested that changes to Medicaid could be in store for states that have opted to expand the program — including many GOP-led states.

The Energy and Commerce Committee is also weighing repeals of programs in the Inflation Reduction Act and other Biden administration climate spending, though Medicaid cuts will have to make up the lion’s share of the savings.

Options previously floated have included work requirements in Medicaid, which would be among the most politically feasible choices for Republicans, said Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Ala.), who chairs the Energy and Commerce Committee’s oversight subcommittee, in an interview. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated work requirements could save more than $100 billion over a decade.

Palmer said ending enhanced federal subsidies for Medicaid expansion states would need to occur on a “glide path, not all at one time,” but that it could lead to $500 billion in savings. He added that the overall spending cut floor is attainable if measures to take on Medicaid fraud are enacted.

“I don’t think it’s a big lift at all when you take into account improper payments,” Palmer said of the committee’s work ahead. “Just requiring states to do regular eligibility checks would address some of the improper payment problems.”

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Congress

Massie files to run in 2028 after losing House primary

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GOP Rep. Thomas Massie filed on Monday to run for his Kentucky House seat in 2028, less than a week after losing a primary fight against a challenger backed by President Donald Trump.

Massie became the latest victim of Trump’s revenge tour last week when former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein successfully ousted him in a primary that shattered electoral spending records.

Trump repeatedly railed against Massie, who has broken with the president on several high-profile issues in recent months, including the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran. Massie also helped lead the congressional effort to force Trump to release the federal government’s files on deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Advertising spending in his primary fight — the most expensive on record — surpassed $32 million as pro-Israel interest groups poured millions into the effort to unseat Massie, who has been an outspoken critic of Israel during his time in Congress.

Massie said in a Monday afternoon statement that the move would allow him “to raise funds to continue my political operations supporting my position as a current office holder and as a potential candidate for federal office,” adding that he had not yet decided which office to seek.

Trump also succeeded in pushing out other Republicans who challenged his leadership in Louisiana and Georgia last week, with GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy and Georgia gubernatorial candidate Brad Raffensperger both losing to Trump-endorsed opponents.

The president also forced out several Indiana state lawmakers who opposed his nationwide redistricting efforts earlier this month, once more proving his iron grip on the party.

But Republicans in Congress and GOP operatives are fretting that Trump’s laserlike focus on vengeance could imperil the party’s legislative agenda ahead of this fall’s midterm elections and potentially cost the GOP control of Texas Sen. John Cornyn’s seat. Trump handed down an eleventh-hour endorsement of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton last week, more than two months after promising to weigh in on the ugly primary fight.

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Khanna expresses disappointment about Massie’s defeat

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Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) expressed disappointment Sunday morning that Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) lost his primary last week.

Speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Khanna said of his reaction: “Sadness, disappointment. Thomas is a real friend. He’s a good man.”

Khanna and Massie are very much on opposite ends of the classic left-right ideological spectrum, but they came together to introduce the Epstein Files Transparency Act, requiring the release of files in the case of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. They also joined together to attempt, unsuccessfully, to block U.S. involvement in Iran.

Those efforts, as well as other votes, led President Donald Trump to repeatedly denounce Massie and campaign on behalf of Ed Gallrein, Massie’s challenger in their Kentucky congressional district. Gallrein won the primary last week with approximately 55 percent of the vote.

Speaking to host Kristen Welker, Khanna offered his analysis of Massie’s defeat.

“He was taken out for two reasons,” Khanna said. “One: He had the courage to go after some very powerful people in working with me to get the Epstein Transparency Act passed. As you mentioned, that’s historic bipartisan legislation that finally got justice for the survivors. And he had people spend millions of dollars and had the president of the United States after him.

“And second, he worked with me to stop this war in Iran. So for taking on the Epstein class and taking on war, he basically lost his state. And I admire his courage in taking those positions.”

With talk this weekend of a possible deal with Iran, Khanna said it is time for the war to come to an end.

“The answer to your question is yes. I do believe we need a negotiated deal,” he told Welker.

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Absent congressmember Tom Kean Jr. starts working the phone

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Rep. Tom Kean Jr., whose two-and-a-half month disappearance has stoked speculation about his health and political future, has begun more actively communicating over the phone.

On Thursday, Kean began calling Republican county chairs in his 7th Congressional District, one of the most competitive in the country in this year’s midterms. The two-term Republican also gave a “lengthy” interview to New Jersey Globe on Thursday afternoon, the first he has granted since he last voted on March 5.

Kean did not respond to a text message from Blue Light News and his voicemail was full Thursday night.

But Kean, 57, gave no details to the Globe on his undisclosed illness, which has kept him out of public view since early March. He said he’s expecting to make a full recovery, that it would not affect his cognitive health, that he plans to run for reelection and that he will publicly discuss his health at an unspecified later date.

“My doctors are confident that I’m on the road to a full recovery,” Kean told New Jersey Globe. “I understand the need for public transparency, and I appreciate the support of my constituents.”

Kean added that he plans to return to voting and campaigning in the next couple weeks. Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), chair of the House GOP’s campaign arm, told reporters Thursday he spoke to Kean and he will be back voting in June.

Kean’s lengthy absence has drawn national media attention, with reporters staking out his home in the wealthy 7th Congressional District, where he faces an extremely competitive reelection, with four Democrats competing in the June 2 primary to take him on in November. His campaign and office staff had repeatedly said that he expects to make a full recovery and would return to work “soon.”

But few people — even Kean’s two fellow New Jersey House Republicans — had recently reported speaking to him. House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that he spoke to Kean last month.

Kean called Republican chairs in his district on Thursday.

“He sounded good to me. Sounded just as normal as always,” said Carlos Santos, the Republican chair of Union County, where Kean lives.

Santos said that he did not ask Kean about his ailment, and that Kean did not disclose it. But he said Kean confirmed he’s running for reelection and that he has his support.

Tracy DiFrancesco, the GOP chair of Somerset County, also spoke with Kean.

“It was just a simple conversation. He sounded just like Tom always sounds. He sounded perfectly fine. He’s basically back. Hopefully we’re going to see him very soon,” she said. “I think he’s doing well and we’re excited to get back on his campaign.”

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