Missouri Senator Josh Hawley called the cuts to Medicaid "politically suicidal" as many Republicans' voter bases may be threatened by them. House Republicans have proposed legislation with $880 billion in cuts, largely to Medicaid, in order to approve $4.5 trillion in tax breaks.

Republicans are steering clear of dramatic Medicaid cuts in their spending bill, instead opting for smaller changes backed by moderate and swing-state members who had balked at the prospect of slashing a program that covers more than 70 million low-income and disabled Americans.