Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent took on critics Sunday during an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union, directly challenging the claim that President Trump’s sweeping new reconciliation law — dubbed the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” — amounts to a cut in Medicaid.
“Only in DC is a 20% hike over 10 years a cut,” Bessent said, pushing back against host Dana Bash’s framing. “Medicaid funding will go up 20% over the next decade. The people Medicaid was designed for — pregnant women, the disabled, and low-income families with children — will be refocused as the program’s core.”
Bessent emphasized that the changes enacted are not about cutting benefits, but about reshaping eligibility and restoring the program’s original intent. Those most affected, he said, are able-bodied adults without dependents, many of whom were added under earlier Medicaid expansion programs. “Able-bodied Americans are not vulnerable Americans,” he stated. “A work or community service requirement is both popular and common in many state-level programs already.”
Bessent on Medicaid cuts: “The able-bodied Americans are not vulnerable Americans … people can get off Medicaid and get a job that has good healthcare benefits … I don’t think poor people are stupid. I think they have agency.” pic.twitter.com/raDM6GQEOU
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 6, 2025
CNN’s Bash pushed back, noting that President Trump had previously pledged not to touch Medicaid benefits. “There is no change in benefits,” Bessent replied. “There’s a change in the requirements to get those benefits.”
The law, which was signed by President Trump on July 4th, marks the administration’s most ambitious legislative effort to date in his second term. Spanning nearly 900 pages, the bill covers a wide swath of policy areas, including entitlement reform, border security, fossil fuel development, tax cuts, and a rollback of green energy subsidies.
While the Medicaid work requirements have drawn predictable opposition from Democrats, Bessent criticized what he called their patronizing stance toward low-income Americans. “Some Democrats, unfortunately, think poor people are stupid,” he said bluntly. “I don’t. I think they have agency. Requiring re-registration for benefits twice a year is not a burden. That’s how serious programs are run.”
Bessent argued that the changes, paired with broader administration efforts to bring manufacturing back and curb illegal immigration, will lead to stronger employment opportunities — making the work requirements not only fair, but feasible.
Republicans, meanwhile, are preparing to make the bill a centerpiece of their messaging in the upcoming midterms. House Speaker Mike Johnson called it “the defining legislative win of this administration,” touting its economic and national security impact. “Everyone will have more take-home pay, more opportunity, and more security,” Johnson said. “We’re proud of this, and the American people will see the results.”
