{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.murray.senate.gov/at-budget-hearing-senator-murray-slams-republicans-for-sham-hearing-on-medicaid-fraud-after-they-made-the-largest-cuts-to-medicaid-in-history/", "At Budget Hearing, Senator Murray Slams Republicans for Sham Hearing on Medicaid Fraud, After They Made the Largest Cuts to Medicaid in History", "2026-08-04", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "WA", "Patty Murray", "M001111", "www.murray.senate.gov", "murray", "https://www.murray.senate.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "Murray: \u201cChairman Johnson has said repeatedly he believes Social Security is a Ponzi scheme\u2026 I am going to keep fighting to save Social Security and protect healthcare for Americans. Now, and long into the future.\u201d\n\nJohnson: \u201cI\u2019ve said it\u2019s a legal Ponzi scheme, which is exactly what it is. I mean, take a look at what a Ponzi scheme is. That\u2019s what Social Security is.\u201d\n\nMurray: \u201cSeems to me like the biggest Medicaid theft didn\u2019t happen in a billing office somewhere, it actually happened last year, right here in the United States Capitol, when Republicans passed Trump\u2019s Big Ugly bill.\u201d\n\n***WATCH: Senator Murray\u2019s full questioning***\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2014 Today, at a Senate Budget Committee hearing on Medicaid, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former chair of the Budget Committee, slammed Republicans\u2019 sham hearing on Medicaid fraud. Senator Murray called out Trump for pardoning criminals convicted of Medicaid fraud and Republicans who voted to slash Medicaid to give tax cuts to billionaires last year in Trump\u2019s Big Ugly Bill.\n\n[MEDICAID FRAUD HYPOCRISY]\n\nSenator Murray began by asking Jonathan Ingram, Vice President of Policy and Research at the Foundation for Government Accountability, about how Trump and Republicans\u2019 say they want to crack down on Medicaid fraud; meanwhile Trump has actually pardoned criminals convicted of Medicaid fraud.\n\nMURRAY: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I think we can all agree can we do need to crack down on fraud, especially in a program like Medicaid that so many Americans really rely on.\n\nSo, Mr. Ingram, let me just ask you: Yes or no? You agree that we need to be cracking down on Medicaid fraud, not letting criminals off the hook, yes?\n\nINGRAM: Yes.\n\nMURRAY: Thank you. So, I hope my Republican colleagues will use some part of this hearing to condemn President Trump for pardoning criminals who were convicted of major Medicaid fraud. Trump pardoned five former executives from Florida who committed serious Medicaid fraud to the tune of tens of millions of dollars. That is pretty bad.\n\nFollowing what was dubbed \u201cthe largest health care fraud scheme charged by the U.S. Justice Department\u201d\u2014valued at over $1 billion in Medicare and Medicaid fraud\u2014Trump commuted the 20-year sentence of a Florida nursing home and assisted living facility executive. So that\u2019s even worse.\n\nSo, look, I\u2019m all for a major crackdown on fraud\u2014I think we all are, but it looks like we\u2019ve got some pretty good leads starting in the White House.\n\n[REPUBLICAN MEDICAID CUTS]\n\nSenator Murray continued by asking Andy Schneider, Research Professor of the Practice at the Center for Children and Families in the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University, about how Trump\u2019s Big Ugly Bill made the largest cuts to Medicaid in American history and kicked thousands of Americans off their health insurance, all to give massive tax breaks to billionaires.\n\nMURRAY: Mr. Schneider, I want to turn to you. What single piece of legislation delivered the largest cuts to Medicaid in American history?\n\nSCHNEIDER: Last year\u2019s budget reconciliation bill.\n\nMURRAY: Yep. Just so everybody knows: Republicans\u2019 \u201cBig, Ugly Bill\u201d passed more than $1 trillion in health care cuts, mostly to Medicaid.\n\nMr. Schneider, how much in tax breaks for the top one percent did Trump\u2019s bill contain?\n\nSCHNEIDER: Approximately $1 trillion.\n\nMURRAY: $1 trillion dollars, in tax cuts, to the top one percent.\n\nMr. Schneider, how many Americans are losing health care because of Trump\u2019s Big Ugly Bill?\n\nSCHNEIDER: So, in terms of the Medicaid cuts, the latest estimates are approximately 11 million.\n\nMURRAY: 11 million.\n\nSo, zero billionaires lose their health care\u2014they do get a trillion in tax cuts and then over fifteen million Americans\u2014including the extended ACA tax credits\u2014lose their health care thanks to Republicans passing $1 trillion in cuts for regular, working class people.\n\nThat is the math, and that is out-and-out grift. So it seems to me like the biggest Medicaid theft didn\u2019t happen in a billing office somewhere, it actually happened last year, right here in the United States Capitol, when Republicans passed Trump\u2019s Big Ugly bill.\n\n[CLOSING REMARKS]\n\nDuring Senator Murray\u2019s closing remarks, Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), doubled down on his stance on Social Security and called it a \u201clegal Ponzi scheme.\u201d\n\nMURRAY: So Mr. Chairman, let me just say, I find it pretty astounding that Republicans are holding an entire Senate hearing on \u201cfraud\u201d in Medicaid, but they don\u2019t seem to have anything to say about the \u201cfraud\u201d coming out of the White House. I mean look at the crypto schemes, and the foreign gifts\u2014that is easily the most corrupt White House in American history\u2014President Trump pardoned convicted criminals who committed Medicaid fraud! This is outrageous to me, and it is what we should be talking about.\n\nBut I also want to note a really big difference in terms of values and beliefs right now. Because I am here\u2014and I know my colleagues on this side are\u2014to fight for our safety net programs. But my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are not with me in that fight.\n\nChairman Johnson has said repeatedly he believes Social Security is a Ponzi Scheme. Last week, another Republican Senator was on the floor saying Social Security is a \u201cscam.\u201d\n\nSo, I wanted to make really clear at this hearing, I could not disagree more strongly, Mr. Chairman. Social Security is a program that millions of hardworking Americans have paid into their entire lives. So Republicans might want to cut benefits, or privatize Social Security, but I want you to know I am going to keep fighting to save Social Security and protect healthcare for Americans. Now, and long into the future.\n\nThank you, Mr. Chairman.\n\nJOHNSON: To correct the record, I\u2019ve said it\u2019s a legal Ponzi scheme, which is exactly what it is. I mean, take a look at what a Ponzi scheme is. That\u2019s what Social Security is. It\u2019s been horribly mismanaged. Those funds were not invested in something that\u2019s of value to the federal government\u2014government bonds. I\u2019m happy to\u2014and we\u2019ll probably hold a hearing on this, and I\u2019ll prove the case\u2014but it\u2019s a legal Ponzi scheme, and that\u2019s quite honestly indisputable.\n\nMURRAY: Mr. Chairman, to respond.\n\nAnd welcome to the chairmanship, but I find that you are turning this into a debate committee, not a budget committee. That\u2019s fine, but let me just respond\u2014\n\nJOHNSON: I think it\u2019s important that the American people see a civil exchange but go ahead.\n\nMURRAY: You have a right as a chair, but I will respond: Americans pay for their Social Security. They pay into it for their lifetimes, and they deserve to know it\u2019s going to be there in the future. That\u2019s what we\u2019re focused on.\n\n###", 1, "2026-08-05T07:37:37Z", "2026-08-05T07:38:44Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.murray.senate.gov/at-budget-hearing-senator-murray-slams-republicans-for-sham-hearing-on-medicaid-fraud-after-they-made-the-largest-cuts-to-medicaid-in-history/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7278381381183863, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}