All of Pennsylvania’s Republican congressmen voted Tuesday for a House budget resolution that Democrats say threatens Medicaid and other benefits meant for low-income people.
The state Republican delegation includes four northeast and north-central House members — Rob Bresnahan and Dan Meuser, of Luzerne County, Ryan Mackenzie, of Lehigh County, and Glenn Thompson, of Centre County.
The House resolution does not specifically mention cutting Medicaid or Medicare but sets spending levels to require $880 million in cuts to an area of the next budget dominated by spending on both programs.
In a statement, Bresnahan portrayed the vote as “just a procedural step to start federal budget negotiations and (it) does not change any current laws.”
“I will fight to protect working-class families in Northeastern Pennsylvania and stand with President Trump in opposing gutting Medicaid. My position on this has not and will not change,” Bresnahan said.
Trump has promised Medicaid won't be "touched."
In a statement two weeks ago, Bresnahan vowed to vote against a bill “that guts the benefits my neighbors rely on.”
“Pennsylvania’s 8th district chose me to advocate for them in Congress. These benefits are promises that were made to the people of NEPA and where I come from, people keep their word,” he said.
That statement noted the district includes more than 200,000 Medicaid recipients, representing a quarter of the district, plus 66,000 Medicare and 190,000 Social Security recipients.
In a post on X, Meuser said the resolution significantly advances Trump’s America First Agenda.
“As President Trump calls it, this ‘one big, beautiful bill’ will be used to advance many of the top priorities the American people voted for in November, including securing our border, promoting American energy dominance and delivering tax relief to hardworking American families and small businesses,” he posted. “This legislation will play an important role in ushering in a new Golden Age in America, and I’m happy to have supported it.”
He did not address Medicaid or the other benefits. Efforts to interview him were not immediately successful.
Efforts to obtain comment from and interview Mackenzie and Thompson were not immediately successful either.
House Democratic leaders said the resolution favors the nation’s wealthy over average Americans.
“The House Republican budget resolution will set in motion the largest Medicaid cut in American history,” House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said during a news conference. “The reckless Republican budget will cut taxes up to $4.5 trillion for the wealthy, the well-off and the well-connected, and then they are sticking working-class Americans, middle-class Americans and everyday Americans with the bill. They’re going to slash and burn Medicaid, slash and burn veterans benefits and slash and burn nutritional assistance for children and families. This is what House Republicans are all about.”
