It was a BRUTAL smackdown on Capitol Hill today when Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. torched Democrat Rep. Josh Harder (D-CA) over the left’s tired lies about “Medicaid cuts.”
The exchange happened during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing at 1:30 p.m. ET, where RFK Jr. testified on the White House’s budget request under the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” — a $500 million package to complete his signature MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) objectives.
But when Rep. Harder tried to score cheap political points by accusing the administration of slashing Medicaid and abandoning the poor, RFK Jr. unleashed the facts.
Rep. Josh Harder (D-CA):
About half of my district is on Medicaid. 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?RFK Jr.:
I do believe that. I do believe in that. That is the design of the Medicaid program.Rep. Josh Harder (D-CA):
Do you disagree with the cuts that are being proposed for Medicaid right now?RFK Jr.:
Oh, the cuts to— I don’t know if you understand this or whether you’re just mouthing the Democratic talking points. 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.Rep. Josh Harder (D-CA):
Mr. Secretary, that has nothing to do with the budget that’s actually being proposed in the House.RFK Jr.:
These are the only cuts that are being made. These are the only cuts that are being made to Medicaid.Rep. Josh Harder (D-CA):
That’s not true.RFK Jr.:
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.
WATCH:
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
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