The battle over Medicaid in Washington is tearing through the Republican Party like a bull in a china shop. Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri has thrown down the gauntlet, and it’s landed smack dab in the middle of the GOP’s ideological divide.
On one side, we have President Trump and his promises to protect the social safety net. On the other hand, a cadre of what Hawley calls the “Wall Street wing” of the party, pushing for cuts to Medicaid with the determination of a hungry coyote after a jackrabbit.
Medicaid isn’t just some government program cooked up in a bureaucrat’s fever dream. It’s a lifeline for over 70 million Americans, including more than a million folks in Hawley’s home state of Missouri.
In 2020, the good people of Missouri voted to expand Medicaid, even as they cast their ballots for Trump. They weren’t looking for a handout; they were reaching for a hand up. And they’re not alone. Across this great land, in red states and blue, Americans are saying as clear as a bell on a crisp morning: “Don’t mess with our Medicaid.”
Consider this perspective for a moment. Hawley argues that slashing Medicaid is “morally wrong and politically suicidal.” Strong words, but in my decades of reporting, I’ve seen this pattern before. When politicians forget the faces behind the numbers, they’re often reminded at the ballot box.
The question that keeps bouncing around my mind is this: Can the Republican Party reconcile its Wall Street wing with its Main Street heart? Hawley’s warning is as stark as a lightning bolt on a prairie night. He says following the Wall Street Journal’s call for Medicaid cuts would be the end of any chance of us becoming a working-class party.
This debate cuts to the core of what it means to be a conservative in America today. Is it about balancing budgets on the backs of the working poor? Or is it about conserving the dignity and health of every American family?
The stakes couldn’t be higher. For millions of Americans, this isn’t a political game. It’s about whether they can see a doctor, whether their local hospital stays open, and whether they can sleep at night knowing their children have health coverage.
In the end, this Medicaid debate is a mirror held up to the soul of the Republican Party. Will they see the reflection of Wall Street, or the faces of Main Street America? The answer to that question may well determine the future of the GOP and, indeed, the health of our democracy.
