Trump CMS nominee Dr. Oz won’t commit to opposing Medicaid cuts

Trump CMS nominee Dr. Oz won’t commit to opposing Medicaid cuts


Sen. Ron Wyden questions CMS director nominee Dr. Mehmet Oz on potential Medicaid cuts

Dr. Mehmet Oz, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the agency in charge of massive government-run health insurance programs, on Friday declined to commit to opposing future cuts to Medicaid when directly asked if he would do so.

Instead, the nominee for administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said that the way to protect Medicaid is “making sure that it’s viable at every level.”

The exchange during Oz’s Senate confirmation hearing raises fresh questions about the fate of Medicaid under a Republican-led Congress and White House, despite Trump’s promises to preserve it and other federal safety-net programs.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said last week that House Republicans’ current budget cannot meet its spending-cut goals without significantly cutting Medicare or Medicaid coverage.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, asked Oz on Friday, “Since you cherish Medicaid, will you agree to oppose cuts in the Medicaid program?”

“I cherish Medicaid, and I’ve worked within the Medicaid environment quite extensively, as I highlighted, practicing at Columbia University,” Oz said.

Wyden replied, “That’s not that question, doctor. The question is, will you oppose cuts to this program you say you cherish?”

Oz again declined to say that he would.

“I want to make sure that patients today and in the future have resources to protect them if they get ill,” he said.

“The way you protect Medicaid is by making sure that it’s viable at every level, which includes having enough practitioners to afford the services, paying them enough to do what you request of them, and making sure that patients are able to use Medicaid.”

This is developing news. Please check back for updates.

Read more CNBC politics coverage



Source

Bessent to American businesses: ‘Not the end of the world’ if April 2 tariffs kick in
Politics

Bessent to American businesses: ‘Not the end of the world’ if April 2 tariffs kick in

Top Trump administration officials insist that the Aug. 1 deadline is not changing, even as dozens of countries’ trade negotiations are unresolved. Source

Read More
Trump says Jeffrey Epstein ‘stole’ Virginia Giuffre from Mar-a-Lago spa
Politics

Trump says Jeffrey Epstein ‘stole’ Virginia Giuffre from Mar-a-Lago spa

Virginia Giuffre, an alleged victim of Jeffrey Epstein, walks after the hearing in the criminal case against Epstein, at Federal Court in New York, August 27, 2019. Shannon Stapleton | Reuters President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that Jeffrey Epstein “stole” Virginia Giuffre from the spa of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. Trump said that […]

Read More
Trump EPA seeks to repeal finding that carbon dioxide emissions threaten public health
Politics

Trump EPA seeks to repeal finding that carbon dioxide emissions threaten public health

Smoke stacks from the Hugh L. Spurlock Generating Station are seen on June 12, 2025 in Maysville, Kentucky. Jeff Swensen | Getty Images The Trump administration is seeking to repeal a landmark finding that greenhouse gas emissions pose a threat to public health, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday. “This has been […]

Read More