Hawley called Medicaid cuts 'politically suicidal,' voted for them, now faults Congress

Republicans lost the Senate a week ago. Since then, Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri has become one of the loudest voices calling for a reckoning inside his party. One of the things he blames is Medicaid cuts ¹.

There is a catch. Hawley voted for those cuts. On July 1, 2025, he voted yes on President Trump's tax and spending law, known as H.R. 1 or the One Big Beautiful Bill. The Senate split 50-50, and Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote ⁴. Without Hawley's vote, it would have failed.

What he says now

Semafor reported Monday, Nov. 9, that Hawley called for "a tough, family conversation" among Republicans. He said, "We just lost seven Senate seats. And there may be more" ¹. He listed several reasons for the losses: Medicaid cuts, the party's closeness to companies that build data centers, its drift from anti-abortion goals, and what he called a move to "abandon" poor and working-class voters ¹.

He also complained about "a lot of blame shifting going on in all of these postmortems" ¹. Then he said who he thinks should take the blame:

From Channel GOPSchumer accuses Hegseth of hiding US war casualtiesChuck Schumer · 187 plays · captioned, with the source named

I think it's probably time for people in Congress to take responsibility for what Congress did.

Hawley also said he couldn't promise to vote for Majority Leader John Thune or the rest of the Senate GOP leadership team. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin was leading a push to delay the leadership election, which was set for a closed-door meeting Tuesday morning ¹.

What he said then

Hawley saw the political danger coming. On May 12, 2025, he wrote an opinion piece in The New York Times arguing against cutting Medicaid, and posted it on his Senate website ². Medicaid is the joint federal and state program that pays for health care for people with low incomes. Hawley wrote that it serves more than 70 million Americans, including more than one million residents of Missouri ².

He noted that "some 21 percent of Missourians benefit from Medicaid or CHIP," the Children's Health Insurance Program ². And he said Missouri voters themselves had "mandated that the state expand Medicaid coverage" ². His verdict on the push for cuts was blunt:

But that argument is both morally wrong and politically suicidal.

How 'don't cut' became 'that'd be fine'

By late June 2025, his position had narrowed. NOTUS reported on June 24 that Hawley now focused on one piece of the bill: a lower limit on provider taxes. These are fees that states charge hospitals and other health care providers to help pay their share of Medicaid costs ³. The Senate version lowered that limit from 6% to 3.5%, a change Hawley opposed ³.

"They've got to fix this hospital piece of it," Hawley said. "And if they do that, then I think that'd be fine" ³. He also said, "The work requirements, I've always supported" ³. NOTUS reported that he described the bill as one that "will reduce the number of people on Medicaid," which he said he supported because he wants able-bodied adults who don't have jobs to work ³.

In the end, Senate leaders added a $50 billion fund for rural hospitals, and Hawley voted yes ⁴⁶. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Congress's nonpartisan scorekeeper, projects that nearly 12 million people will lose health coverage by 2034 under the law ⁵. The Missouri Hospital Association estimated that Missouri will lose hundreds of millions of dollars from the provider tax changes alone ⁵.

Voting yes, then trying to undo it

A week after the vote, Hawley was back home in Missouri. "I'm completely opposed to cutting rural hospitals period," he said, NBC News reported ⁵. Asked why he voted for a bill with parts he didn't like, he said: "Gotta take the wins that you can" ⁵.

On July 15, 2025, two weeks after the vote, he introduced the Protect Medicaid and Rural Hospitals Act ⁷. It would repeal the provider tax limits and other Medicaid funding changes in the law he had just voted for. It would also double the rural hospital fund to $100 billion and stretch it from five years to ten ⁷. "Now is the time to prevent any future cuts to Medicaid from going into effect," he said ⁷.

Democrats were not persuaded. Every Democrat in Congress voted against the law ⁵. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer warned that day about what it would do to small-town health care:

At least 300 rural hospitals are at immediate risk of closing because of this bill.

The pattern

The pattern is a familiar one. A lawmaker warns against a policy, votes for it when his vote is the one that counts, and then sponsors a bill to undo it. Now that voters have punished the party, he blames "Congress." Hawley is right that Congress did this. He was one of the 50 senators who made it possible ⁴.

The cuts are still law. The new Medicaid work requirements were delayed until 2027, and most of the funding cuts are set to start in 2028 ⁶. Democrats say they will try to reverse the cuts when the new Congress meets in January ⁹. Lawmakers are expected to fight over Medicaid spending next spring ⁸.

That matters because Democrats can't do it alone. A repeal generally needs 60 Senate votes unless it goes through reconciliation, a special budget process that can pass with a simple majority. Trump is also expected to resist any rollback of his 2025 law ⁹. If Hawley meant what he wrote in May 2025, he will get another chance to vote on it.

The Record

1. May 12, 2025Hawley publishes 'Don't Cut Medicaid,' calling the case for cuts 'morally wrong and politically suicidal' ²
2. Jun 24, 2025Hawley says the bill would be 'fine' if leaders fix the provider tax change that hurts hospitals ³
3. Jul 1, 2025Hawley votes yes as the Senate passes H.R. 1 on a 50-50 tie broken by Vice President Vance ⁴
4. Jul 15, 2025Hawley introduces the Protect Medicaid and Rural Hospitals Act to repeal some of the cuts he voted for ⁷
5. Nov 9, 2026After the GOP loses the Senate, Hawley cites Medicaid cuts and says Congress should take responsibility ¹

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<h2>Hawley called Medicaid cuts &#39;politically suicidal,&#39; voted for them, now faults Congress</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Receipts Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/hawley-called-medicaid-cuts-politically-suicidal-voted-for-them-now-faults-congress">The GOP Files</a> on Monday, November 9, 2026.</em></p> <p>Republicans lost the Senate a week ago. Since then, Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri has become one of the loudest voices calling for a reckoning inside his party. One of the things he blames is Medicaid cuts .</p> <p>There is a catch. Hawley voted for those cuts. On July 1, 2025, he voted yes on President Trump&#39;s tax and spending law, known as H.R. 1 or the One Big Beautiful Bill. The Senate split 50-50, and Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote . Without Hawley&#39;s vote, it would have failed.</p> <h2>What he says now</h2> <p>Semafor reported Monday, Nov. 9, that Hawley called for &quot;a tough, family conversation&quot; among Republicans. He said, &quot;We just lost seven Senate seats. And there may be more&quot; . He listed several reasons for the losses: Medicaid cuts, the party&#39;s closeness to companies that build data centers, its drift from anti-abortion goals, and what he called a move to &quot;abandon&quot; poor and working-class voters .</p> <p>He also complained about &quot;a lot of blame shifting going on in all of these postmortems&quot; . Then he said who he thinks should take the blame:</p> <blockquote><p>I think it&#39;s probably time for people in Congress to take responsibility for what Congress did.</p><p>&mdash; Josh Hawley, U.S. senator, R-Mo., November 2026</p></blockquote> <p>Hawley also said he couldn&#39;t promise to vote for Majority Leader John Thune or the rest of the Senate GOP leadership team. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin was leading a push to delay the leadership election, which was set for a closed-door meeting Tuesday morning .</p> <h2>What he said then</h2> <p>Hawley saw the political danger coming. On May 12, 2025, he wrote an opinion piece in The New York Times arguing against cutting Medicaid, and posted it on his Senate website . Medicaid is the joint federal and state program that pays for health care for people with low incomes. Hawley wrote that it serves more than 70 million Americans, including more than one million residents of Missouri .</p> <p>He noted that &quot;some 21 percent of Missourians benefit from Medicaid or CHIP,&quot; the Children&#39;s Health Insurance Program . And he said Missouri voters themselves had &quot;mandated that the state expand Medicaid coverage&quot; . His verdict on the push for cuts was blunt:</p> <blockquote><p>But that argument is both morally wrong and politically suicidal.</p><p>&mdash; Josh Hawley, U.S. senator, R-Mo., in a May 12, 2025 op-ed</p></blockquote> <h2>How &#39;don&#39;t cut&#39; became &#39;that&#39;d be fine&#39;</h2> <p>By late June 2025, his position had narrowed. NOTUS reported on June 24 that Hawley now focused on one piece of the bill: a lower limit on provider taxes. These are fees that states charge hospitals and other health care providers to help pay their share of Medicaid costs . The Senate version lowered that limit from 6% to 3.5%, a change Hawley opposed .</p> <p>&quot;They&#39;ve got to fix this hospital piece of it,&quot; Hawley said. &quot;And if they do that, then I think that&#39;d be fine&quot; . He also said, &quot;The work requirements, I&#39;ve always supported&quot; . NOTUS reported that he described the bill as one that &quot;will reduce the number of people on Medicaid,&quot; which he said he supported because he wants able-bodied adults who don&#39;t have jobs to work .</p> <p>In the end, Senate leaders added a $50 billion fund for rural hospitals, and Hawley voted yes . The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Congress&#39;s nonpartisan scorekeeper, projects that nearly 12 million people will lose health coverage by 2034 under the law . The Missouri Hospital Association estimated that Missouri will lose hundreds of millions of dollars from the provider tax changes alone .</p> <h2>Voting yes, then trying to undo it</h2> <p>A week after the vote, Hawley was back home in Missouri. &quot;I&#39;m completely opposed to cutting rural hospitals period,&quot; he said, NBC News reported . Asked why he voted for a bill with parts he didn&#39;t like, he said: &quot;Gotta take the wins that you can&quot; .</p> <p>On July 15, 2025, two weeks after the vote, he introduced the Protect Medicaid and Rural Hospitals Act . It would repeal the provider tax limits and other Medicaid funding changes in the law he had just voted for. It would also double the rural hospital fund to $100 billion and stretch it from five years to ten . &quot;Now is the time to prevent any future cuts to Medicaid from going into effect,&quot; he said .</p> <p>Democrats were not persuaded. Every Democrat in Congress voted against the law . Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer warned that day about what it would do to small-town health care:</p> <blockquote><p>At least 300 rural hospitals are at immediate risk of closing because of this bill.</p><p>&mdash; Chuck Schumer, Senate Democratic leader, D-N.Y.</p></blockquote> <h2>The pattern</h2> <p>The pattern is a familiar one. A lawmaker warns against a policy, votes for it when his vote is the one that counts, and then sponsors a bill to undo it. Now that voters have punished the party, he blames &quot;Congress.&quot; Hawley is right that Congress did this. He was one of the 50 senators who made it possible .</p> <p>The cuts are still law. The new Medicaid work requirements were delayed until 2027, and most of the funding cuts are set to start in 2028 . Democrats say they will try to reverse the cuts when the new Congress meets in January . Lawmakers are expected to fight over Medicaid spending next spring .</p> <p>That matters because Democrats can&#39;t do it alone. A repeal generally needs 60 Senate votes unless it goes through reconciliation, a special budget process that can pass with a simple majority. Trump is also expected to resist any rollback of his 2025 law . If Hawley meant what he wrote in May 2025, he will get another chance to vote on it.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/hawley-called-medicaid-cuts-politically-suicidal-voted-for-them-now-faults-congress">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/hawley-called-medicaid-cuts-politically-suicidal-voted-for-them-now-faults-congress.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. Semafor, “Republican infighting escalates after election drubbing” (2026-11-09). semafor.com/article/11/09/2026/republican-infighting-escalat
2. Office of Sen. Josh Hawley (reposting The New York Times), “Hawley Op-Ed: Don't Cut Medicaid” (2025-05-12). hawley.senate.gov/hawley-op-ed-dont-cut-medicaid
3. NOTUS, “Josh Hawley Goes From 'Don't Cut Medicaid' to Most Cuts Would 'Be Fine'” (2025-06-24). washingtonsun.com/congress/josh-hawley-dont-cut-medicaid-mos
4. U.S. Senate, “Roll Call Vote 119th Congress, 1st Session, Vote No. 372 (H.R. 1, as amended)” (2025-07-01). senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119
5. NBC News, “Hawley voted for Trump's megabill despite Medicaid concerns” (2025-07-09). nbcnews.com/politics/congress/trump-megabill-vote-medicaid-j
6. HuffPost, “Josh Hawley Introduces Bill To Cancel Medicaid Cuts He Just Voted For” (2025-07-15). huffpost.com/entry/medicaid-josh-hawley-trump_n_6876b45de4b0
7. Office of Sen. Josh Hawley, “Hawley Introduces Legislation to Prevent Future Medicaid Cuts, Invest in Rural Hospitals” (2025-07-15). hawley.senate.gov/hawley-introduces-legislation-to-prevent-f
8. CBS News / KFF Health News, “Democrats' election rout is poised to dramatically reorder federal health policy” (2026-11-04). cbsnews.com/news/democrats-2026-midterm-election-health-poli
9. Yahoo News (The Washington Post), “Democrats pledge to quickly reverse changes to Medicaid, restore ACA subsidies” (2026-11-04). yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/democrats-pledge-quickly-re

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