Conversations on Medicaid cuts to intensify in Congress. What’s that mean for NC?
Good morning and happy Monday! This is Danielle Battaglia with today’s edition of Under the Dome. Once a week, we take a closer look at President Donald Trump’s latest moves and their impact on North Carolina.
In the coming weeks, you will hear a lot about potential cuts to Medicaid and other social safety net programs. That’s because the U.S. House is beginning to take up the budget reconciliation process, known to Trump and his supporters as “one big, beautiful bill.”
For those who do not pay close attention to Washington’s budget procedures, the Congressional Budget Office defines reconciliation as “an expedited process for considering bills that would implement policies embodied in a Congressional budget resolution.” Essentially, the budget is being used to as a vehicle to enact some of Trump’s policies.
The reason Democrats are sounding the alarm on Medicaid cuts is that the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which oversees the program, has been directed to cut $880 billion from its budget over the next 10 years. Rep. Richard Hudson, a Republican from North Carolina and the leader of the National Republican Congressional Committee, serves on the Energy and Commerce committee.
Medicaid is the committee’s largest expense, and finding a way to reduce the committee’s budget by such a large amount is impossible without major changes to the program.
In December 2023, North Carolina became the 41st state to expand Medicaid, providing health care to North Carolina adults between 19 and 64 who earn up to 138% of the federal poverty level. As of last month, more than 650,000 residents were enrolled in Medicaid.
Medicaid covers a wide-range of health care needs from doctor’s visits to maternity and postpartum care, dental, vision and hearing services, prescription costs, behavioral and wellness services and prevention screenings. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said Medicaid does not have monthly fees and caps co-pays at $4.
Republicans, including Trump, have repeatedly said they will not cut Medicaid.
On Thursday, Rep. Brett Guthrie, who oversees the committee (and has a remarkable resemblance to North Carolina’s Rep. Greg Murphy) met at the White House with Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and other key members of leadership to discuss potential impacts on Medicaid. The result of that conversation was to schedule Energy and Commerce meetings next week to further discuss plans around Medicaid and move the highly anticipated markup, where the committee will work to make its budget match the laid-out plan, from May 7 (the same day the conclave begins at the Vatican) to the week of May 12.
Here are other stories from the week:
▪ Tuesday marked the 100th day of Trump’s presidency, and he has signed an unprecedented number of executive orders. On Thursday, more than 1,000 people gathered on Halifax Mall in downtown Raleigh for a May Day protest focusing on Trump’s impact on working families. Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi reports the crowd also opposed Trump’s policies on immigration, funding cuts and due process rights, and Trump’s views on the Israel-Hamas war.
▪ In Washington, the Rev. William Barber II held a protest of his own inside the Capitol Rotunda. Martha Quillin reported that Barber’s actions during the protest Monday led to his arrest on accusations of violating a law that prohibits demonstrations inside the U.S. Capitol. That law includes holding prayers, which is what Barber was doing when he was arrested.
▪ There’s been a lot of news at North Carolina colleges this week. At least nine more international students had their visas restored this week after judges found the federal government in violation of the constitution after a mass revocation of records in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System that led to students across the nation being forced to leave the country. Rebecca Noel reports on the visas of six students at UNC Charlotte and one at Appalachian State University, and Korie Dean writes about two other students at N.C. State University.
▪ Meanwhile, Brian Gordon reports that Duke University officials announced voluntary buyouts for employees as potential federal funding cuts loom over the school. The buyouts are attempts by the university to lessen the number of layoffs that could be coming this summer.
▪ In immigration news, Rep. Carla Cunningham, a Democrat from Charlotte, joined state House Republicans this week in passing a bill that would strengthen state law requiring law enforcement to work with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, Avi Bajpai reports.
▪ In health care news, Advance Community Health CEO Scot McCray is sounding an alarm on increased scrutiny his organization is facing to secure federal grants and the impact that could have on health care for low-income patients. Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi has that report.
Don’t forget, we want to hear from our readers, if Trump’s new policies are having a personal impact on you. You can fill out the form we created to get in touch with our staff and tell us your personal stories.
That’s it for now. Be kind to each other. And check back tomorrow for the Under the Dome podcast newsletter.
And if you have any feedback or tips for this new edition of the newsletter feel free to reach out to me directly at dbattaglia@mcclatchydc.com.
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