But now Republicans have created another problem. They didn’t just cut Medicaid; they also have forced nearly half a trillion dollars in cuts to Medicare, the health program for the elderly.
Because of a statutory requirement to automatically impose budget cuts when legislation increases the deficit, the Big Beautiful Bill would require automatic sequestration cuts across the board, something that has been confirmed by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) but has been largely absent from the debate over the bill. Medicare is one of the programs that will face the axe, and the damage sums to $490 billion over the next ten years, starting in the next fiscal year that begins in October. While many of the safety-net cuts in the bill are delayed to help Republicans with their re-election campaigns, the Medicare cuts must begin next year.
You can say "oh that's just one guy" but, trust me, looking for affirmation and approval of anything from right wing validators is pretty much the norm for most of the Democrats.Here's what a Dem consultant told a reporter about my story that the GOP bill,as written, forces $500bn in Medicare cuts: "I need an actual publication to verify this before I take it seriously. Like what’s Jake Sherman’s take here? My understanding is these Medicare cuts are routinely cancelled" 🙄
— David Dayen (@ddayen.bsky.social) July 3, 2025 at 6:39 PM
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Dems can't find their "Joe Rogan" if they can't even handle "David Dayen."