GOP’s Josh Hawley says Medicaid cuts are bad, then turns around and votes for them anyway
Senator Josh Hawley never outright declared he’d oppose his party’s sweeping domestic policy package — the ironically titled One Big Beautiful Bill Act — but the Missouri Republican had spent weeks cautioning GOP leadership about his discomfort with the proposed Medicaid reductions. His name soon landed on lists of lawmakers who might imperil the bill’s chances.
Turns out the suspense wasn’t necessary. On Saturday, Hawley confirmed, “I’m going to vote yes on this bill,” although his statement came with a side of visible reluctance. Speaking to NBC News, the senator said:
“This has been an unhappy episode here in Congress, this effort to cut Medicaid. And I think, frankly, my party needs to do some soul-searching. If you want to be a working-class party, you’ve got to deliver for working-class people. You cannot take away health care from working people. And unless this is changed going forward, that is what will happen in coming years. So I’m going to do everything I can to stop that.”
He followed that up with another quote to NBC News:
“We can’t be cutting health care for working people and for poor people in order to constantly give special tax treatment to corporations and other entities. The party has a lot of thinking to do.”
That clip quickly made the rounds online. Responding to it, Democratic Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii summed it up succinctly:
“I think what makes this video so compelling is that he’s very convincing, but he couldn’t convince himself.”
It’s a hard comment to argue with. Hawley is deeply troubled by his party’s decision to cut over $1 trillion from Medicaid. He believes Republicans need a moral reckoning. He’s clearly uneasy about the direction of the party. And then he voted for the bill anyway.
He says “you cannot take away health care from working people,” while simultaneously backing legislation that would do just that. He objects to shifting benefits away from families in need just to shower corporations with tax breaks — and then casts a vote to make that happen. Hawley insists he’ll do “everything” in his power to halt the Medicaid cuts, except the one thing that would actually stop them: voting no.
There’s a subtle difference between Republicans who cheerfully slash safety nets and those who express sadness while doing it — but to struggling families losing access to health care, that difference is meaningless. No amount of hand-wringing will cover a medical bill. No soundbite about “soul-searching” will pay for insulin or a child’s check-up.
Note to readers: This article is based on direct quotes and official reporting from NBC News and public statements by elected officials. All quoted material is presented verbatim for accuracy.
