Speaker Johnson, GOP leader Thune, President Trump and Vice President Vance attend the 125th Army-Navy football game at Northwest Stadium on December 14, 2024 in Landover, Maryland. Photo via Getty Images
Republicans know they are playing with fire by making significant changes to Medicaid. Now GOP senators are eyeing Medicare as well, raising the blood pressure for party strategists even higher.
Why it matters: Medicare is part of the third rail of politics.
But some GOP senators think they can find billions in savings by targeting "waste, fraud and abuse" and get away with it politically, as long as they don't cut benefits for the program's core beneficiaries.
"Find me an American who thinks we should have waste, fraud and abuse in Medicare," Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mt.) told reporters.
"Find me a voter that says that's a good idea."
ā Trump gave GOP senatorsa green light yesterday to explore ways to save money on Medicare, as Politico first reported.
"The president is willing to eliminate any waste, fraud and abuse anywhere," Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) told us about the White House meeting.
Zoom out: The House-passed bill included hundreds of billions in Medicaid cuts. The CBO estimates those changes would cause at least 11 million Americans to lose their health care coverage.
A last-minute push from conservatives tried and failed to create even deeper cuts on the Medicaid side, as we previously reported. But moderates successfully blocked the attempt.
Privately, top GOP strategists are worried, convinced that they may be handing Democrats an issue on Medicare to help them improve their standing with senior citizens, who have high turnout in midterm elections.
