Mike Johnson defends Medicaid cuts, says it’s time young men learn responsibility — it’s a ‘moral’ lesson for them
The Republican Speaker of the House says his party intends to push through its controversial Medicaid cuts by appealing to what he describes as the “moral component” of defending masculinity. Appearing on “Face the Nation” this Sunday, Speaker Mike Johnson stood by the House’s approval of a bill that could slash Medicaid by as much as $880 billion over a decade, even though roughly 1 in 5 Americans depend on the program.
Johnson, however, denied that these were actual cuts, insisting that the GOP’s newly proposed work requirements are aimed at stamping out “fraud, waste and abuse” by compelling “able-bodied workers, young men” to find employment.
Asked about the widespread loss of coverage—affecting tens of thousands in his own state—Johnson dismissed the concern, claiming without evidence that the only people at risk are “able-bodied workers, many of whom are refusing to work because they’re gaming the system.”
“You’re cheating the system,” the speaker said. “And no one in the country believes that that’s right. So there’s a moral component to what we’re doing. And when you make young men work, it’s good for them, it’s good for their dignity, it’s good for their self-worth, and it’s good for the community that they live in.”
Even if you were to accept Johnson’s moral framing—suggesting that someone’s access to basic health services should depend on their “dignity” or “self-worth”—his focus on young men makes the entire argument reek of old-fashioned gender bias. It arguably fits the textbook definition of sexism.
At a more basic level, the logic driving Johnson’s and the Trump camp’s push for Medicaid work requirements doesn’t hold up. Columnist Michael Hiltzik of the Los Angeles Times recently broke down how the GOP’s narrative of jobless men mooching off the healthcare system is part of a long-running campaign that paints benefit recipients as freeloaders. But the facts show a different picture.
Hiltzik wrote:
Work rules for Medicaid are the product of a misconception about Medicaid enrollees, which is that they’re the employable unemployed. According to census figures, however, 44% of Medicaid recipients worked full time in 2023 and 20% worked part time. An additional 12% were not working because they were taking care of family at home, 10% were ill or disabled, 6% were students, and 4% were retired. Of the remaining 4%, half couldn’t find work and the remaining 2% didn’t give a reason.
So, despite Republican talking points, the majority of Medicaid beneficiaries are already employed.
A nonpartisan estimate by the Congressional Budget Office warns that these changes could strip health care from at least 8.6 million people by 2034. That’s likely one reason why a whopping 76% of Americans oppose significant cuts to Medicaid, according to polling from the Kaiser Family Foundation conducted in April.
Sources:
- cbsnews.com/news/mike-johnson-house-speaker-trump-bill-medicaid-work-requirements/
- kff.org/medicaid/poll-finds-strong-opposition-to-medicaid-cuts/
- cbsnews.com/news/mike-johnson-medicaid-face-the-nation-interview/
Note to our readers: We understand some may question the validity of this report. The information above is compiled from verified international and independent news outlets, including Politico, NBC News, and The New York Times. All claims have been fact-checked against multiple reliable sources to ensure accuracy and transparency.
