Van Drew signs onto GOP letter advocating against Medicaid cuts

Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-Dennis) has been saying for months that he won’t support Republican legislation that includes a cut to Medicaid; now, he’s put that commitment in writing. 

In a letter that was sent to House GOP leaders on Monday, Van Drew and eleven other House Republicans insist that as Republicans work to draft their major tax- and spending-cut legislation this spring, Medicaid – the massive federal health care program for low-income Americans – needs to be protected in order for a bill to earn their vote. The letter was first reported by Punchbowl News this morning.

“We support targeted reforms to improve program integrity, reduce improper payments, and modernize delivery systems to fix flaws in the program that divert resources away from children, seniors, individuals with disabilities, and pregnant women – those who the program was intended to help,” the letter states. “However, we cannot and will not support a final reconciliation bill that includes any reduction in Medicaid coverage for vulnerable populations.”

Under two different budget resolutions passed by the House this year, the House Energy & Commerce Committee would be directed to cut $880 billion in spending; the resolutions did not mention Medicaid explicitly, but there’s likely no realistic way for the committee to cut that much spending without touching the health care program.

Van Drew publicly hemmed and hawed on the first budget resolution vote, eventually coming around to voting for it while still pledging to oppose any hypothetical Medicaid cuts down the line, though he has said he wants to target “waste, fraud, and abuse” in the system, a recurring GOP line; today’s letter doubles down on that pledge. (Notably, Van Drew is one of the letter’s only signatories who doesn’t represent a highly competitive swing district.)

New Jersey’s two other Republican representatives, Reps. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield) and Chris Smith (R-Manchester), have also both generally expressed a desire to protect Medicaid, but neither have made a firm commitment like Van Drew.

Kean has, however, staked a claim against efforts to roll back clean energy tax credits signed into law under Joe Biden, joining a 21-member letter to the House Ways and Means chairman last month insisting that the tax credits be kept intact under the GOP’s reconciliation bill. Separately, Kean has also insisted that the State and Local Tax needs to be partially or fully restored in order for him to vote for any piece of tax-related legislation.

Competing demands from legislators like Van Drew and Kean will, of course, make the path to passing a reconciliation bill in the closely divided House more difficult. And that’s not to mention the group of hyper-conservative Republicans who have threatened rebellion against the GOP agenda if it doesn’t cut spending enough, essentially the opposite of what New Jersey’s Republican delegation has been asking for.