A CNN host fact-checked a far-left Democrat on live television Tuesday after she inaccurately claimed President Donald Trump called for cuts to Medicaid.
During a discussion over a Republican-backed spending bill on “CNN News Central,” Democratic Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal slammed the proposal and accused the GOP of slashing key entitlement programs like Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, and the Department of Education. Jayapal said that the bill would devastate American families and falsely asserted that Trump had advocated for such cuts.
“This is not a bill that is in any way going to help the American people. If Republicans wanted to put forward a bill that helps the American people, that actually cuts costs for Americans, that raises taxes so that the rich finally pay their fair share instead of getting giant tax breaks, then, sure, we would be interested in talking about that,” Jayapal said. “But that’s not the bill we have before us, Boris. So I think you can expect a wholesale opposition to cutting Medicaid, Social Security, Medicare, the Department of Education, everything that they are doing.”
The CNN host stepped in, however, to correct the congresswoman.
“Just to be precise, congresswoman, I believe that in that soundbite Elon Musk was talking about fraud in those entitlement programs being the big ones that they have to tackle. That’s what he said in that soundbite,” host Boris Sanchez said. “We can go back and find it, and we’ll exchange emails, and you’ll see that what he was talking about specifically in that soundbite that I believe you’re referring to is fraud. And President Trump has said that he will not sign anything that cuts Medicaid, though it is true that the committee that oversees Medicaid has outlined $880 billion in cuts.”
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The host then pressed the congresswoman on new CNN polling showing 57% of Americans disapprove of Democratic leadership and challenged her on whether the party should shift tactics by seeking compromise rather than simply obstructing GOP initiatives. (RELATED: Fraud, Child Sex Changes, Healthcare For Illegals — Dems Spent Years Expanding Medicaid Beyond Recognition)
“Well, I think it’s a tough time in our country, and I think Democrats do have to come together and show that we have not just an opposition vision, but what I call a proposition vision,” Jayapal said. “What are we fighting for? Things like big investments in housing, universal child care. These are the things that, had we passed, and we almost did, we passed it in the House, I think we might have won the November election.”
Democratic lawmakers have been claiming that House Republicans voted to gut Medicaid, but they offered no evidence to support the accusation. Republicans pushed back sharply after passing their budget resolution, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, when pressed, failed to provide proof.
House Democrats’ claim that the budget resolution cuts Medicaid holds no merit, as the resolution only sets spending targets without mandating specific policy changes. Democrats continue to accuse Republicans of gutting Medicaid, even though the budget resolution doesn’t mention the program at all. That didn’t stop Jayapal from posting a message on X accusing Republicans of slashing Medicaid to benefit the wealthy.
“99% of House Republicans just voted to gut Medicaid so they can lower taxes for the richest 1%,” Jayapal wrote on X. “They’re showing you exactly who they’re working for.”
This isn’t the first time Jayapal said something that was false. During a congressional hearing, she claimed that no unaccompanied migrant children had gone missing, even though federal records show Immigration and Customs Enforcement lost track of more than 32,000 since 2019.
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