Jodey C. Arrington

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Con. Res. 113.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Chairman, the American people suffered through 4 years of lawlessness, incompetence, and habitual failure under Joe Biden and Democratic leadership, one self-inflicted disaster after another: border chaos, rampant crime, feckless foreign policy, spending-induced inflation that we haven't seen in a half a century, a crushing cost-of- living crisis, and the worst regressive tax on working families in this country.

In the historic election of 2024, our citizens gave us unified Republican leadership and an unambiguous and unequivocal message. They said that we want strong, competent leaders, commonsense policies, and a commitment to America and Americans first.

Mr. Chairman, for our part, from day one, Republicans have united and relentlessly delivered in reversing those failed Democratic policies, delivering on the American people's priorities, and restoring America's greatness and the American spirit along with it.

Mr. Chairman, we have been doing this in the face of unprecedented Democratic obstruction. They either didn't listen to the American people in the election of 2024, or worse: They didn't care.

Instead of humble self-reflection and change, the Democratic Party has doubled down on their radical agenda and has hastened their march to Democratic socialism. Their entire strategy has been to resist Republicans and obstruct, obstruct, obstruct the President at all fronts and at all costs, even if it hurts our great Nation, its success, and the safety and security of the American people, sadly.

Exhibit A: The Democrats shut the government down for the first time in history when we presented a clean CR to continue the funding of last year until we could work out an appropriations deal. They rejected it, and their demand was to repeal the safeguards that we put in to prevent illegals and ineligible people from draining the safety net that is there for vulnerable Americans.

Then, they shut Homeland Security down, and they held not only TSA agents and coastguardsmen hostage, but they held the American people and our security hostage for absurd and dangerous demands that would have returned our country back to the Biden border nightmare, along with endangering our hardworking and brave Border Patrol and ICE agents.

The Democrats have gone on time and time again with this unprecedented obstruction. Recently, they blocked the National Defense Authorization Act to protest President Trump and our troops' efforts to stop this radical terrorist regime from having nuclear weapons.

They blocked FISA, which is a critical tool for our intelligence agencies to stave off and thwart terrorist attacks and Chinese espionage and hacking into our critical infrastructure.

Mr. Chairman, I could go on and on. Let me tell you what we have done as Republicans, relentlessly, every day, with the commitment to the people who sent us up here. In reconciliation 1.0, we prevented the largest tax hike in our Nation's history, 22 percent, which would have been on top of the 21 percent increase in prices they experienced from Biden inflation.

We gave permanent tax relief to working families and small businesses. We made the largest investment in rebuilding our military, restoring their spirit, peace through strength for the USA. We saved a record $1.6 trillion in rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse that was robbing taxpayers and weakening the safety net for our most vulnerable.

Reconciliation 2.0, unfortunately, we had to burn a reconciliation and go at it again unilaterally, Republicans stopping the defunding of ICE and CBP. That is right. We didn't get a single Democratic vote to fund ICE and CBP, and the only way we turned Homeland Security back on is they wanted to cut them out of the equation. That is what we did with the second reconciliation.

Mr. Chairman, here we are with reconciliation 3.0, supporting our troops in their time of need with just baseline battlefield readiness, bullets and bombs to finish the job and to come home safely and victoriously; strengthening our food supply; and, ultimately, we want to safeguard the integrity of our elections.

We want to restore the American people's confidence because as the Founders said in the Declaration of Independence: ``There is no just government without the consent of the governed,'' and there is no legitimate consent and there is no functioning democracy if the American people have no confidence in this election.

Mr. Chairman, it is not just the President. It is not just MAGA Republicans. Nancy Pelosi, in 2017, said this: ``Our election was hijacked. There is no question. Congress has a duty to protect our democracy . . . `'

Well, you know what, Mr. Chairman? I agree with Nancy Pelosi. We have a duty. We have a duty to safeguard our elections. We have a duty to restore confidence in what underpins the will of the people, their freedoms, our common defense, and the general welfare of every American in this country.

Mr. Chairman, I encourage not just Republicans but my Democratic colleagues to join us in supporting our troops, safeguarding our elections, and saving America.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Rogers), the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.

Mr. Chair, as you heard from our chairman, while our Democrat colleagues are shutting down the Department of Homeland Security and blocking the National Defense Authorization Act in the Senate, we have our troops standing in the gap, risking their lives for the common defense. They need to be refueled. They need the replenishment. They need the resources to be successful. They need to know we are behind them.

Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson), our chairman of the House Agriculture Committee.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

You heard the chairman of the Agriculture Committee. He is talking about

emergency support for our farmers and ranchers who, by no fault of their own, are being pummeled by drought, natural disasters of all kinds, diseases like the screwworm.

This will affect the food supply. We don't want to depend on China or any country. We don't want to beg any foreign country to feed our families. I thank him for his leadership, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Crawford), who is my friend and the chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Let's not believe the hype, Mr. Chairman. Let's look at the stats from the nonpartisan CBO. The deficit per GDP has gone down by over 10 percent for the first time--because this continues to be their perpetual talking point. In 10 years we haven't seen the deficit to GDP go down.

Republicans came to this town, and we drained the swamp of waste, fraud, and abuse to the tune of $1.6 trillion. That is twice as much as this town has ever cut in the history of the United States of America.

It was Republicans who put forward the Fiscal Responsibility Act and, according to the nonpartisan CBO, saved $2 trillion. Then we put progrowth policies in that big, beautiful bill and unleashed American investment, which is up 10 percent; and growth, which is up. We had a 3.8 and 4.3 in the third and fourth quarter or second and third before the Democrats shut the government down. Wages are up. Inflation and interest are coming down. More money is in people's pockets.

I would say: Promises made, promises delivered.

Mr. Chair, I want to introduce to you the great chairman of the House Administration Committee.

Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Steil).

Mr. Chair, interestingly enough, Chuck Schumer, Democratic leader in the Senate, agrees. In 2018, he was talking about Russian interference. It turned out to be a conspiracy and debunked. He said that they are actively trying to do it again. Russia is trying to do it again. We must wake up to this fact--these are his words: ``We won't be able as a nation to fight back against foreign interference in our elections if the Commander in Chief''--Donald Trump at the time-- ``doesn't even acknowledge that it is a real problem.''

I think this President has acknowledged it is a real problem, and I think the American people have acknowledged it is a real problem. I thank the gentleman for his leadership to restore confidence and integrity to the United States electoral system.

Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, here is the irony: My Democrat colleagues, every single one of them, voted for $200 billion for Ukraine, for their war that would have been prevented, quite frankly, if we had a strong, competent, Commander in Chief at the time. We didn't. It started. They have sent $200 billion without batting an eye and without giving a penny to offset it. Now they want to talk about offsets when we want to give our troops the money they need to finish the job, be safe, come home. We are proud of them. We stand with them. We are going to support them.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter), my friend and fellow Budget Committee member.

Mr. Chairman, while my Democratic colleagues are counting the pennies on this defense supplemental, remember, baseline battlefield readiness. That is it, just what they need to do their job. It is actually about $67 billion.

Meanwhile, the open-border policies of our Democrat colleagues have flooded our country with millions of illegals. According to NumbersUSA, that is $9,000 per illegal in taxpayer social services, to people who aren't here legally, aren't our citizens, and that is more than we spend on our most vulnerable for Medicaid.

Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Smucker), my dear friend and great vice chairman of the Budget Committee.

Mr. Chair, we gave the Democrats, our friends on the other side of the aisle, opportunity after opportunity multiple times to support what 83 percent of the American people support, which is photo identification to vote in elections in this country.

You need an ID to check in at a hotel and to fly on an airplane--in Mamdani's New York, you need it to shovel snow--but it is not important enough for the cornerstone of this democratic Republic.

The American people aren't fooled. We are not fooled. We are going to do this so that we can continue with this great country of ours and with the confidence of the American people in the outcome of the elections.

Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Just to be clear, when the Democrats had total control, they heaped taxes and regulations on our job creators. They attacked, with a whole- of-government force, against domestic energy producers. They waived work requirements for able-bodied adults. They allowed illegals onto our social safety net. They did give a tax break to green energy corporations. They gave tax subsidies to the tune of $800 billion, along with hundreds of billions of dollars in wasted stimulus checks.

Juxtapose that with 127 million Americans getting a doubled standard deduction, 40 million families getting an enhanced child tax credit, 35 million seniors getting the double deduction for seniors, an average of $7,500. Mr. Chair, 7.5 million filers got the no tax on tips, and 29 million filers got overtime breaks, on average over $3,000. By the way, wages are up.

That is what is happening because our policies are delivering for the American people and working families.

Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Moore), my friend and another member of the Budget Committee from the Tar Heel State.

Mr. Chair, I mentioned earlier that the Republican Party is united and unrelenting in delivering for the American people. That doesn't happen without a fearless leader and the legend from Louisiana, my dear friend, Mr. Steve Scalise.

Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise).

Mr. Chairman, I respect my friend from the Commonwealth of Kentucky, but this false narrative is perpetuated every time Republicans actually go after the waste in this town and the fraud that is being perpetrated on the taxpayers and the vulnerable who need these programs. They start saying that we are kicking the vulnerable off and we are throwing them into the streets.

All I ask you to do is look to the nonpartisan CBO, once again, and I include this letter in the Record, Mr. Chairman.

U.S. Congress,

Congressional Budget Office,

Washington, DC, June 24, 2025.

Re Information Concerning Medicaid-Related Provisions in

Title IV of H.R. 1.

Hon. Jodey Arrington,

Chairman, Committee on the Budget,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Hon. Brett Guthrie,

Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Arrington and Chairman Guthrie: You have

asked the Congressional Budget Office for information

concerning changes to insurance coverage that would occur

under H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, as passed by

the House of Representatives on May 22, 2025. You asked

specifically about changes related to Medicaid under title

IV, Energy and Commerce.

CBO estimates that enacting the Medicaid provisions in

title IV would increase the number of people without health

insurance by 7.8 million in 2034 relative to baseline

projections under current law. Of that number:

About 4.8 million would be able-bodied adults between the

ages of 19 and 64 who have no dependents and who do not meet

the community engagement requirement in section 44141 for

participating in work-related activities at least 80 hours a

month.

About 1.4 million would be people who do not meet

citizenship and immigration status requirements for Medicaid

enrollment but who would be covered under current law in

programs funded by the states.

About 2.2 million would become uninsured because of other

provisions in H.R. 1, including provisions increasing the

frequency of verification of eligibility to enroll in

Medicaid or those that would lead states to change their

Medicaid enrollment requirements in response to federal

policy changes.

CBO estimates that the interactions among the policies

would, on net, reduce the number of people without health

insurance by 600,000 in 2034 relative to the sum of the

estimated effects of the individual policies because some

people would become uninsured under more than one policy.

You asked several questions about the number of people who

would be enrolled in Medicaid under the legislation and about

the number of people who would not have health insurance

under H.R. 1. You also asked about the effects on state

Medicaid spending under H.R. 1.

For the number of individuals estimated to be without

health insurance in 2034 as a result of the Medicaid policies

in H.R. 1, what share would be eligible for other health

insurance subsidies but would be estimated to not

participate?

CBO estimates that of the projected increase of 7.8 million

people without health insurance in 2034, 1.6 million would

have access to, but would not take up, other forms of

subsidized coverage, such as premium tax credits for

insurance purchased through the marketplaces established by

the Affordable Care Act or employment-based coverage; that

number also includes people who would remain eligible for

Medicaid but would not enroll.

For which provisions in H.R. 1 does CBO estimate that there

would be an increase in the number of people without health

insurance resulting from state discretion in the management

of enrollment within their own Medicaid programs? What does

CBO estimate would be the effect on the number of people

without health insurance under those policies?

CBO estimates that enacting several sections would reduce

resources available to states to fund their Medicaid programs

or state-funded insurance programs:

Section 44107 would eliminate the authority of the Centers

for Medicare & Medicaid Services to waive penalties for

payment errors and would reduce federal funding to states for

errors in eligibility determinations.

Section 44111 would reduce the federal matching rate for

people enrolled in Medicaid under the expansion of the

program provided in the Affordable Care Act from 90 percent

to 80 percent for any state that uses its own funds to

provide coverage to certain immigrants through state

programs.

Section 44132 would prevent states from increasing current

tax rates on providers and bar them from creating new tax

arrangements for providers.

Section 44134 would make additional changes to what

constitutes a permissible provider tax and would effectively

limit collections of those taxes in certain states.

CBO expects that in response to those provisions, states

would modify their Medicaid or state-funded insurance

programs to curtail their spending by reducing provider

payment rates, reducing the scope or amount of optional

services, and reducing Medicaid enrollment.

CBO estimates that state responses to those provisions

would increase the number of people without health insurance

by a total of 2.0 million in 2034.

Does CBO estimate that the Medicaid provisions in H.R. 1

would result in a net decrease in state spending on the

Medicaid program, before accounting for how states respond to

the federal policy changes, and if so by how much?

CBO estimates that, if combined, enacting all of the

Medicaid provisions in H.R. 1 would reduce the states' total

share of spending on Medicaid by $13.1 billion, on net, over

the 2025-2034 period. Some provisions would reduce state

spending, and some would increase it. CBO estimates that over

the 2025-2034 period, provisions that make changes to program

eligibility and enrollment processes, as well as some payment

changes, would cause states' spending to decline by $214.4

billion. Reductions in federal or other resources available

to state programs would cause states' spending to rise by

$201.3 billion.

What is the number of individuals whose citizenship,

nationality, or satisfactory immigration status is not

verified, but would be covered under current law in programs

funded by states?

CBO estimates that enacting section 44111 would increase

the number of people without health insurance by 1.4 million

in 2034 because, in order to maintain the 90 percent federal

matching rate, most states would stop using state-only funds

to provide health insurance coverage to people who do not

meet citizenship and immigration status requirements for

Medicaid enrollment.

What are the changes in the number of uninsured people that

would be associated with provisions aimed at verifying

eligibility for the Medicaid program, specifically sections

44102 and 44108 of H.R. 1?

Section 44102 would prevent one part of what is termed the

Eligibility and Enrollment final rule from being implemented,

administered, or enforced through the end of 2034. That part

of the rule changes the way

that states process applications and renewals for coverage

under Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program.

For example, the rule specifies that states can only conduct

eligibility determinations for people who are aged, blind,

and disabled once a year--less frequently than under some

states' prior practices. The rule also specifies that states

cannot require in-person interviews during eligibility

redeterminations for that group of enrollees. CBO expects

that enacting section 44102 of H.R. 1 would reduce enrollment

as states returned to earlier administrative practices.

CBO estimates that enacting section 44102 would increase

the number of people without health insurance by 600,000 in

2034.

Section 44108 would require states to redetermine Medicaid

eligibility every six months, instead of once a year, for

some enrollees. CBO expects that enacting the section would

result in some people being removed from the program sooner

than would occur under current law.

CBO estimates that enacting section 44108 would increase

the number of people without health insurance by 700,000 in

2034.

In CBO's baseline, how many individuals are enrolled in

Medicaid in 2025 and how many are enrolled in 2034? How many

would be enrolled in 2034 under H.R. 1?

In CBO's January 2025 baseline projections, 85.0 million

people will be enrolled in Medicaid this year, rising to 90.0

million in 2034. CBO estimates that under H.R. 1, 79.5

million people would be enrolled in Medicaid in 2034--10.5

million fewer than under current-law projections.

In CBO's baseline, what is total federal Medicaid spending

in 2025 and in 2034? What would total federal Medicaid

spending be in each of those years accounting for the effects

of H.R. 1?

In CBO's January 2025 baseline, the agency estimates $655.9

billion in Medicaid spending in 2025, increasing to $985.7

billion by 2034. CBO estimates that enacting the Medicaid

provisions of H.R. 1 would reduce Medicaid spending by $125.2

billion in 2034, to total $860.5 billion that year.

I hope this information is useful to you. Please contact me

if you have further questrons.

Sincerely,

Phillip L. Swagel,

Director.

Mr. Chairman, the only people who aren't on the Medicaid rolls today who were on them before were illegals in this country that Joe Biden and Democrats allowed to siphon money away from Americans, people who were ineligible, or people who were able to work but who refused to work for the generous support of hardworking taxpayers.

We stand on that proudly. We stand by it, and I believe the American people support us at every step of the way.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Stutzman), my friend from the Hoosier State and another proud member of the Budget Committee.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock), my dear friend and another proud member of the House Budget Committee.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I want to make this quick because I want to say something about my ranking member. In case I don't have time, let me say it now: what a gentleman, what a statesman. This place would work a lot better if you had the tone, the commitment to civility and to just being constructive around here. When you can agree--we don't agree on this. He is impassioned. I am impassioned. What a good man. The people of Pennsylvania must be very proud of Brendan Boyle. I am.

We need to support our troops. This is emergency funding. We need to support our producers who give us food security. That is a national security issue. We do it every year.

We need to give the American people the confidence that this and every election going forward is fair and accurate. We need that for this great Republic to succeed and to thrive in the future.

Mr. Chair, I urge all of my fellow Members of Congress to support this important piece of legislation. I yield back the balance of my time.