While Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s public feud attracts headlines, the real action is occurring behind the closed doors in the Senate. Republicans are negotiating cuts to government spending under citing financial savings as the justification. At the centre of the debate is the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill,” a sweeping piece of legislation that includes permanent tax breaks that critics say disproportionately benefit the wealthy with aggressive cuts to social safety net programs.
This bill was passed by the House last month. According to Congressional Budget Office, it is estimated to add $2.4 trillion to the national debt over the next decade. Despite that, its most controversial feature isn’t the cost, it’s where lawmakers are looking to make up the difference.
After Medicaid, Medicare Takes a Hit
The GOP usually looks to reduce spending by cutting programs for low-income Americans. This bill already includes more than $1.3 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and Affordable Care Act subsidies. With those cuts locked in, Republicans are turning their attention to Medicare, reviving familiar rhetoric: “waste, fraud, and abuse.”
Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D) was blunt: “How much waste, fraud, abuse is there in Medicare — why don’t we go after that?” Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-SD) echoed the sentiment. It’s a familiar line that offers political cover and nobody wants to defend fraud. But in Washington, “fraud” often functions as shorthand for “cuts.”
Trump’s Contradictions on Entitlements
Trump’s stance on Medicare and Social Security has been inconsistent. On the campaign trail and in interviews, he insists these programs won’t be touched. “Medicare, Medicaid—none of that stuff is going to be touched,” he told Fox News earlier this year. But within 24 hours of that interview, he publicly endorsed a House budget packed with Medicaid cuts.
When asked to explain this contradiction, Trump and his allies fell back on the talking point: he’s not cutting benefits, just rooting out inefficiencies. According to White House spokesman Kush Desai, the bill “addresses waste, fraud, and abuse in government spending”, not actual entitlements. But as always, the line between rooting out fraud and reducing actual services is often debated.
A Political Risk — Even for Republicans
While some Senate Republicans are eager to go after Medicare, others recognize the political risk. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) warned that entitlement cuts could come back to haunt the party. “In 2004, President Bush got re-elected and promptly tried to privatize Social Security, and Republicans didn’t win the popular vote for 20 years,” he told NBC News.
That kind of backlash remains a real threat. A KFF poll released last week found that over 70% of Americans believe the GOP’s bill will increase the number of Americans that are uninsured. Even 44% of Republicans share that concern. The CBO estimates that the Medicaid cuts alone would result in more than 10 million Americans losing health coverage.
Is Social Security Next?
There’s also growing concern that if Medicare can be cut under the idea of “fraud,” Social Security will be next. Trump has already planted the seeds. In the same February interview, he said: “Social Security won’t be touched, other than this fraud or something we’re going to find.”
It’s not a stretch. The logic is already built in. What’s being used to justify $600 billion in Medicaid cuts and an open door to Medicare reductions can easily be recycled for Social Security.
Avoiding Real Reform
With 18 months left of a GOP-controlled Washington, there will be more bills, more cuts, and more rhetoric about fraud and waste. Behind the budget figures are real programs that millions of Americans rely on. They are benefits relied on by millions of Americans, including the same voters Trump and the GOP say they’re protecting.