Trump pledged not to cut Medicare — but his budget bill does just that

House Republicans passed President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act last month. Among many provisions, this GOP-sponsored budget bill would make steep and historic cuts to the Medicaid program and Affordable Care Act marketplace coverage, raising healthcare costs across the board and costing almost 11 million Americans their insurance coverage. With Trump’s bill now under the Senate’s consideration, Republicans are working to deliver legislation to the president by July 4. 

The bill’s provisions — most specifically its sweeping cuts to Medicaid and food assistance programs that serve low-income Americans — have generated significant pushback. Republican senators and House members are playing defense about what constitutes a “cut,” whether massive coverage losses will in fact lead to avoidable deaths, and what the bill’s Medicaid cuts might mean for children and adults with disabilities.