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is drawing the line on potential cuts to federal spending on , calling proposals to reduce the federal match rate or impose a per-capita cap on spending 鈥渁n absolute no-go鈥� and 鈥渁 non-starter.鈥�

Wittman said in an interview that he has expressed his concerns about the proposals to , and . Both are courting moderate Republicans in political swing districts to back those options in order to meet an $880 billion target for cuts in federal spending under the jurisdiction of the House Energy & Commerce Committee.

He said he would not support cuts that would trigger the 鈥渒ill switch鈥� in Virginia law to roll back expansion of Medicaid health care benefits to more than 641,000 Virginians. The trigger would reverse Medicaid expansion if the federal share of the costs fell by 1% or more beneath the current 90% threshold provided under the Affordable Care Act.

鈥溾�橧鈥檝e told the Speaker and the Majority Leader that鈥檚 an absolute no-go,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e told the Speaker and the leadership that that鈥檚 a non-starter.鈥�

鈥淭here鈥檚 no misunderstanding about where I stand on these things,鈥� he said.

Johnson was to meet with Wittman and other moderate Republicans on Tuesday afternoon about their concern over deep cuts in federal support of Medicaid. Scalise said publicly last week that he was confident that moderate Republicans would accept a proposed reduction in the federal match rate and a per-capita spending cap for people covered by Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been meeting with all our members but especially our most vulnerable members,鈥� the majority leader said in a social media post by Punchbowl News on Thursday.

Wittman, whose district is based in Henrico, Chesterfield and Hanover counties, and represent Virginia districts that Democrats are targeting in congressional midterm elections next year.

They were among 12 Republicans who signed a letter to House GOP leadership on April 14 expressing their concern about potential cuts to the safety net health care program for low-income, elderly and disabled Americans.

The letter said they would support reforms to the program to improve its integrity, reduce improper payments and modernize delivery of care, but added, 鈥淗owever, we cannot and will not support a final reconciliation bill that includes any reduction in Medicaid coverage for vulnerable populations.鈥�

Wittman said Monday that Scalise appeared to have misspoken after talking to some concerned members of the Republican conference.

鈥淗e had conversations with some members, but certainly not all members,鈥� he said.

Wittman鈥檚 comments came after the House Committee on Energy & Commerce delayed for a week its planned markup of budget cuts to support the $880 billion reduction over 10 years that is part of the budget reconciliation framework that he and Kiggans supported last month.

The Congressional Budget Office said that achieving that level of reduced spending would require cuts to Medicaid, which is an obligation shared by federal and state governments.

Virginia pays 49% of the costs for health care services for people under the state鈥檚 traditional Medicaid program, primarily children, low-income parents, people with disabilities and seniors receiving long-term care.

The federal government pays 90% of the costs for people under Medicaid expansion, primarily low-income adults, while health care providers pay the remaining 10% under a budget agreement that the General Assembly adopted in 2018, effective on Jan. 1, 2019.

Last week, Gov. Glenn Youngkin said he was hopeful that Congress would be able to reduce Medicaid spending without triggering a rollback in care for Virginians.

鈥淭here is a trigger law in Virginia, and my current understanding is that is not something that is advancing, but we鈥檙e paying close attention,鈥� Youngkin said after announcing actions on the state budget on Friday.

Rep. Jennifer McClellan, D-4th, who serves on the committee, welcomed Wittman鈥檚 position on the proposed spending cuts.

鈥淚 hope he stands firm, both on the federal match and the per-capita cap,鈥� she said Tuesday.

McClellan also expressed concern about proposals to reduce federal reimbursements to health care providers, especially the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, which runs the state鈥檚 largest safety net hospital.

鈥淭he VCU hospital system would be hit very, very hard,鈥� she said.

Sean Connaughton, president and CEO of the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association, said Tuesday that the potential cuts would hurt hospitals and providers statewide.

鈥淔rom large places to rural communities, Medicaid is a critical lifeline for people young and old across all racial groups,鈥� Connaughton said in a statement. 鈥淲ithout Medicaid, millions of people who now have coverage would face limited access to care. 鈥�

鈥淚t is imperative for policy makers to understand that cuts to Medicaid would jeopardize public health, access to essential care for millions of Americans, and the availability of medical services in communities across the nation,鈥� he said.

鈥淭hat would also have devastating economic impacts by eroding the health care workforce and the viability of providers who deliver life-saving care to patients and families.鈥�

McClellan also called on Congress to provide an exemption for caregivers from the proposed work requirement for Medicaid recipients. A work requirement was part of the 2018 budget agreement to expand Medicaid, but then-Gov. Ralph Northam did not implement it.

鈥淭he only able-bodied people not working are caregivers,鈥� she said.

Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-9th, also serves on the Energy & Commerce Committee, but he could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

McClellan said she has not talked about the potential cuts directly with Wittman and Kiggans.

鈥淚 am monitoring what they鈥檙e saying and what they鈥檙e doing,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 know they鈥檙e very concerned and I鈥檓 encouraged by their concern.鈥�

Wittman emphasized that he supports efforts to reduce Medicaid spending by targeting improper payments for people who aren鈥檛 lawfully eligible, such as undocumented immigrants and people who earn too much to qualify, and other forms of waste and abuse.

But, as someone who was adopted at a young age, he said he thinks of 鈥渕y birth mother鈥� in protecting benefits for those most in need.

鈥淭his is about making sure we live up to our obligation to help the most vulnerable and make sure the system is sustainable,鈥� Wittman said.