'Electoral suicide': Swing state Senate Republican buried for suggesting Medicare cuts

05 June

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Senate Republicans are under increasing pressure to identify additional spending cuts to finance their ambitious "Big Beautiful Bill." One potential area of focus is Medicare, according to The Hill.

Proponents of this suggestion are reportedly arguing that efficiency improvements could yield substantial savings.

Sen.Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, emphasized Thursday the potential for cost reductions within Medicare, drawing parallels to previous Medicaid reforms. "I think the same logic that you use to find to implement efficiencies in Medicaid…you can use at Medicare," Tillis reportedly stated.

"These are billions and billions and billions of dollars spent every year. If we get 10, 15% efficiency out of that, that's a big number," he added.

The lawmaker's statement, issued a day after the Senate Finance panel's meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House, has faced criticism on social media.

Reacting to Tillis' remarks, former Barack Obama advisor Jon Favreau said in a post on the social platform X: "I guess kicking 15 million Americans off their health insurance isn’t enough, now they want to go after Medicare too."

Some commentators pointed out that Tillis is up for reelection next year, and his stance could influence his chances of winning. The North Carolina Republican launched his reelection campaign in March.

"Vulnerable GOP Senator proposes cutting Medicare," wrote another Obama advisor, Dan Pfeiffer.

Connecticut State Comptroller Sean Scanlon, while sharing the GOP lawmaker's comments, wrote: "They said they wouldn’t cut Medicaid. They are. They said they wouldn’t cut Medicare."

"Tillis talking about Medicare cuts like this is electoral suicide. What the hell is he doing?!" wrote Mike Nellis, a Democratic strategist.

"Cut Medicare I dare them. And I'll let my parents know and they'll never vote R ever again," wrote a user.

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