RFK Jr. Wrecks Democrat Claims on Medicaid Cuts at Capitol Hearing [WATCH]

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Rep. Josh Harder (D-CA) engaged in a tense exchange Wednesday during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing regarding the administration’s proposed $500 million health initiative, the “Big Beautiful Bill,” aimed at advancing the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda.

The back-and-forth began as Secretary Kennedy testified in support of the White House’s fiscal plan.

The hearing was convened to review the administration’s health spending priorities, but the focus quickly shifted when Rep. Harder accused the administration of supporting harmful Medicaid cuts.

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“About half of my district is on Medicaid,” Harder said.

“The recent budget that is being discussed in the House right now would leave 50,000 people in my community without health insurance. Secretary Kennedy, my question for you is: why do you think that a community like mine doesn’t deserve access to the same basic health care provided by Medicaid that you benefited from?”

Kennedy responded directly. “I do believe that. I do believe in that,” he said. “That is the design of the Medicaid program.”

Harder continued, pressing the secretary on whether he agreed with proposed reductions to Medicaid funding.

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“Do you disagree with the cuts that are being proposed for Medicaid right now?” he asked.

Kennedy disputed the premise of the question, pushing back against what he called a mischaracterization of the budget.

“Oh, the cuts to— I don’t know if you understand this or whether you’re just mouthing the Democratic talking points,” Kennedy replied.

“The cuts to Medicaid are for fraud, waste, and abuse. I’ll tell you what that means. It means that because of Doge, we were able to determine— and it’s about 8 million people who would be affected— that there are a million people who are claiming Medicaid from multiple states. That’s illegal. It’s theft. You’re not allowed to do that. There are another million people who are collecting both under Obamacare and Medicaid.”

Harder challenged that explanation. “Mr. Secretary, that has nothing to do with the budget that’s actually being proposed in the House,” he said.

Kennedy reiterated that the only proposed Medicaid cuts are targeted at fraud-related misuse.

“These are the only cuts that are being made,” Kennedy said.

Harder responded, “That’s not true.”

Kennedy countered, “Yes, it is. There are another million illegal aliens. We announced a rule yesterday: we’re not going to pay illegal aliens anymore. And guess what Gavin Newsom did this morning? He said, ‘We’re going to take all the illegal aliens off the California Medicaid rolls because the feds aren’t paying for them anymore.’ So much for compassion.”

Rep. Josh Harder (D-CA): “Do you disagree with the cuts that are being proposed for Medicaid right now?”

HHS Secretary RFK Jr: “I don’t know if you understand this or whether you’re just mouthing the democratic talking points, cuts to Medicaid are fraud, waste and… pic.twitter.com/fy6fjb8GXG

— DeVory Darkins (@devorydarkins) May 14, 2025

The exchange highlighted the ongoing debate in Washington over how to manage Medicaid funding while addressing fraud, duplication, and access concerns.

Secretary Kennedy’s remarks point to a broader effort by the administration to redirect federal Medicaid dollars away from ineligible or duplicate recipients while maintaining services for qualified beneficiaries.

The administration’s budget and healthcare proposal remain under review in both chambers of Congress, with further hearings and negotiations expected in the weeks ahead.

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