Sen. Hawley warns against Medicaid cuts in Trump’s spending bill, urging colleagues to preserve benefits for millions.

Hawley Calls for GOP to Align With Trump on Healthcare

Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri has issued a stark warning to his Republican colleagues in the Senate: do not support a version of President Donald Trump’s major budget bill that would cut Medicaid benefits for Americans. As Senate committees prepare to unveil their revised healthcare provisions, Hawley reiterated his stance that the party should “listen to the guy who won the election” and follow Trump’s lead in safeguarding healthcare for working families and rural communities.

Over recent weeks, Republican-led committees have been drafting their own changes to the House-passed “big, beautiful bill,” with much of the debate centering on healthcare policy. The Senate Finance Committee is poised to release its version of the budget reconciliation package, and Medicaid has emerged as a key sticking point for several Republicans, including Hawley.

Hawley has long made clear that he will not support any legislation that strips Medicaid benefits from his constituents in Missouri, stating, “If Senate Republicans produce a version of the president’s bill that strips benefits from my constituents, I won’t support the package.” His position has clashed with fiscal conservatives seeking deeper spending cuts.

Balancing Reform and Access to Care

While Hawley voiced no objection to some proposed reforms—such as stricter work requirements, removing undocumented immigrants from benefit rolls, and combating waste, fraud, and abuse—he emphasized the real-life impact for the 1.3 million Missourians who rely on Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). “These are not people who are sitting around, these are people who are working,” he said. “They’re on Medicaid because they cannot afford private health insurance, and they don’t get it on the job.”

During a press call, Hawley also discussed his Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA), which provides relief for individuals exposed to nuclear waste and has been included in the larger spending bill. He called the RECA addition a “sweetener” but reaffirmed that Medicaid protections remain his top priority.

As the Senate readies its final package, the outcome of the Medicaid debate could determine whether the president’s flagship legislative effort succeeds. Hawley’s position highlights the deep divisions within the GOP over balancing fiscal restraint with the practical needs of working families and rural Americans. With millions depending on Medicaid, the decisions made in the coming weeks will shape the nation’s healthcare landscape for years to come.