‘Oops’: A GOP slip of the tongue confirms ‘Medicaid cuts’ are coming soon, despite Trump’s denials

Donald Trump has spent months insisting that there will be no cuts to Medicaid. On Feb. 18 in an interview he said “none of that stuff is going to be touched”, on Feb. 26 he told a Cabinet meeting “we’re not going to touch it”, and on May 4 he told journalists he’d veto any bill that includes Medicaid cuts, saying “they’re not cutting it”, underlining: “We’re not cutting Medicaid, we’re not cutting Medicare, and we’re not cutting Social Security.”

Now I hope you’re sitting down for this, but President Trump may not have been being entirely truthful. Shocker, I know. Trump had already admitted he wants to eliminate “waste, fraud, and abuse”, which many have already pointed out effectively means that Medicaid will be slashed.

Now, GOP Rep. Jason Smith has said the quiet part loud and confirmed what we all suspected: Medicaid cuts are imminent. Speaking to Fox News, he said, “and then you can look at Medicaid cuts. Uh, Medicaid reforms I should say…”

Rep. Jason Smith: "And then you can look at Medicaid cuts — Medicaid reforms, I should say."

Oops. pic.twitter.com/QphPNRXi0O

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 15, 2025

So there you have it. They’re not “cuts”, they’re “reforms”. Sure, the budget will be cut, millions of people will be deprived care they’re already receiving, and anyone with future conditions will be encouraged to crawl away and die quietly and without a fuss, but as long as they’re “reforms” that makes things a-okay.

Even Republicans are furious

Representatives on both sides of the aisle are beginning to push back against this, knowing all too well that removing medical care from people is the kind of issue that directly affects voters across the political spectrum. After all, even the most die-hard MAGA devotee might pause to reconsider their allegiance when they’re burying Grandma after they cut off her medication.

Democrat House and Energy ranking member Rep. Frank Pallone laid it out on May 13, saying: “So, you can call it a trim, you can call it a cut, call whatever you want. The bottom line is these people are going to lose their Medicaid”.

Missouri Senator Josh Hawley underlined that this is walking straight into an electoral disaster, with killing off voters rarely proving popular. In the New York Times on May 12, he wrote: “This wing of the party wants Republicans to build our big, beautiful bill around slashing health insurance for the working poor. But that argument is both morally wrong and politically suicidal.” 

United States healthcare is already a dystopian nightmare with little regard to the dignity of human life, but Trump and his goons are determined to make it worse. And just remember, even if you’re healthy right now it only takes one accident or finding a mysterious lump before you’re staring down at a letter explaining that, unfortunately, you’re just going to have to die. Soz.