Choose Wisely: Medicaid Cuts Could Cripple Trump’s America First Agenda

COMMENTARY

In Washington, D.C., there is one rule you can count on: nothing is ever as it seems. The mirage of smoke and mirrors provides the ambiance, but not the needed reflection. The current debate over cutting Medicaid is no different. It’s not just a budget fight — it’s a direct threat to the very people who delivered the razor-thin Trump House majority in 2024.

That includes many faithful members of the MAGA movement who, for better or worse, rely on Medicaid. These are the forgotten families of East Palestine, Ohio, and working-class suburbs across America — people who’ve lost financial ground and any semblance of upward mobility. Each Medicaid recipient has an address, and those addresses sit squarely in the battleground districts Republicans must defend in 2026.

It would be political malpractice to push Medicaid cuts disguised as reforms or wrapped in non-statutory spending adjustments just to appease hardliners. Besides, how much spending in Washington is non-statutory? A self-inflicted wound like this could cost Republicans the midterms — and with it, the House, the Trump agenda, and perhaps even his presidency.

For President Donald Trump, the 2026 midterms are nearly as consequential as his 2024 victory. A loss would invite impeachment proceedings, grind his policies to a halt, and reignite the weaponized politics the American people rejected. Given today’s economic uncertainty and global instability, holding a Republican Congress must remain non-negotiable.

The good news is: Republicans still hold the pen. They can craft the “big, beautiful bill” that Trump has called for — a budget bill that enacts real fiscal reform without breaking his core promise not to cut entitlements.

Congressional Republicans should put down the knife and step away from the patient — in this case, the American people. Otherwise, historians may well record this Congress as the proverbial physician who performed a successful surgery but let the patient bleed out on the table.

Remember, many Americans — especially in red and rural districts — are just one medical bill or one missed paycheck away from financial disaster. These are Trump voters. These are the people who have worked to contribute to the system their whole lives, following in the footsteps of their parents and grandparents who created that system. 

These are the people we should be fighting for first.

As for the Democrats’ discharge petition? Don’t be fooled. It’s not a principled stand — it’s political cosplay. They would love nothing more than for Republicans to slash Medicaid, so they can run ads in swing districts screaming that “Trump lied and people died.” Picture the attack ads: one can see the death maps with empty shuttered hospitals and baby strollers, headlines of children denied care. That’s the trap with plenty of temptation from left and right.

However, Trump has made it clear: he will not cut Medicaid. Congress must follow that lead. Yes, fiscal responsibility is a pillar of putting America First — but fiscal responsibility is not fiscal nihilism. Cutting off the nose to spite the face in this case would be political malpractice.

If cuts must be made, let’s start with the bloated defense budget. Why does the military-industrial complex get a blank check year after year while American families are asked to sacrifice? It’s long past time to ask: will the Pentagon ever give up its pound of flesh? After all, it’s our own intelligence and defense bureaucracies — not Medicaid — that have empowered the “deep state” standing in the way of true reform.

Protecting Medicaid isn’t a deviation from MAGA. It’s a defense of its core belief of putting American citizens first.

Let’s not forget who brought the victory last November — and remember it’s the working-class MAGA voter who we’re fighting for.

David Hursey has contributed to several national publications. He is the Existing Industry director for Randolph County Economic Development in North Carolina. He previously served on Utah’s COVID-19 Economic Response Task Force and as special assistant to the president of the Salt Lake Chamber. He has worked on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., and several presidential and congressional campaigns. He holds a master’s degree in Middle East Studies and Political Science from The University of Utah. Hursey can be reached on LinkedIn.