On Monday’s New Day, co-host Chris Cuomo confidently proclaimed that the Trump administration is lying about the GOP health care bill: “It comes as the Trump administration vows there won't be any cuts to Medicaid. That's simply not true. So we'll take you through the spin and the facts.”
CNN reporter Suzanne Malveaux then hyped the claim:
MALVEAUX: A major point of contention, the 11 million Americans insured under ObamaCare's Medicaid expansion, which faces deep cuts under the Senate bill, despite the president's promise not to cut the program.
[CLIP PLAYS]
DONALD TRUMP: Save Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security without cuts.
JOHN KASICH: Over a ten-year period, Medicaid funding will be significantly curtailed and not accompanied, at this point, with the kind of flexibility we need.
[CLIP ENDS]
In reality, the plan cuts the rate of growth in Medicaid spending. Only Democrats would consider that an actual cut. The growth in federal spending is unsustainable with Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security driving the deficit. CNN and Democrats apparently believe that money grows on trees. Thank God we have Cuomo and company to take us "through the spins and the facts."
OurTime and OfficeMax ran ads shortly before the segment aired.
See the more complete transcript below:
8:01 AM ET
CHRIS CUOMO: We begin with growing opposition to the Senate healthcare bill. Party leaders are trying to get more support as they push for a vote this week. It comes as the Trump administration vows there won't be any cuts to Medicaid. That's simply not true. So we'll take you through the spin and the facts.
(..)
8:03 AM
SUZANNE MALVEAUX: A major point of contention, the 11 million Americans insured under Obamacare's Medicaid expansion, which faces deep cuts under the Senate bill, despite the president's promise not to cut the program.
[CLIP PLAYS]
DONALD TRUMP: Save Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security without cuts.
JOHN KASICH: Over a ten-year period, Medicaid funding will be significantly curtailed and not accompanied, at this point, with the kind of flexibility we need.
[CLIP ENDS]
MALVEAUX: Kellyanne Conway insisting otherwise.
[CLIP PLAYS]
KELLYANNE CONWAY: These are not cuts to Medicaid, George. This slows the rate for the future and it allows governors more flexibility with Medicaid dollars.
SUZANNE COLLINS: I respectfully disagree with her analysis. I'm very concerned about the cost of insurance for older people with serious, chronic illnesses.
[CLIP ENDS]
MALVEAUX: It's a race against the clock with Congress going on recess this Friday. Will they vote before then?
[CLIP PLAYS]
RON JOHNSON] I would like to delay the thing. There's no way we should be voting on this next week. No way.
[CLIP ENDS]
MALVEAUX: And the health care effort, big part of the conversation that happened over a critical retreat over the weekend, this was a sponsored by the mega-donors, the conservative Koch brothers and the leaders of their political network, very critical of legislation as both the House and Senate versions of this certainly do not meet their goals.
