💰Budget Committee targets Medicare in reconciliation despite pledge

Trump pledged to protect Medicare while simultaneously promising massive tax cuts and defense spending increases. The Congressional Budget Office confirmed these goals are mathematically incompatible without either Medicare cuts or deficit explosion, forcing the administration to choose between campaign promises and fiscal reality.

Rather than seeking legislative Medicare reductions, the administration restricts eligibility through regulatory changes, prior authorization requirements, and coverage limitations. These bureaucratic modifications reduce benefits while maintaining the technical claim that Medicare remains untouched by avoiding statutory amendments.

Private insurance companies receive increased subsidies to manage Medicare benefits while direct government coverage faces funding reductions. Seniors get steered toward corporate-managed plans that limit provider networks and require pre-approvals for treatments that traditional Medicare covers automatically.

The Inflation Reduction Act granted Medicare authority to negotiate pharmaceutical prices, but Trump's cuts eliminate funding for the negotiation process. Drug companies retain pricing power while seniors pay full retail costs, demonstrating how administrative defunding can nullify popular legislative victories.