and , say they will not support the budget bill that House Republicans are preparing to carry out political agenda if it cuts health care coverage that vulnerable Virginians receive under Medicaid.
Wittman and Kiggans, whom Democrats have targeted in congressional midterm elections next year, joined 10 other Republican representatives in a letter to House GOP leadership this week that declares their opposition to potentially deep cuts in the federal-state program that provides health care to elderly, disabled and poor Virginians.
鈥淏alancing the federal budget must not come at the expense of those who depend on these benefits for their health and economic security,鈥 they state in a letter to , and other House GOP leaders.
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The Republican representatives, facing re-election in political swing districts, said they support 鈥渢argeted reforms鈥 to improve the program, reduce improper payments and modernize its delivery to ensure that federal dollars go to care for the people who depend on Medicaid.
鈥淗owever, we cannot and will not support a final reconciliation bill that includes any reduction in Medicaid coverage for vulnerable populations,鈥 they state.
The letter represents an about-face for Wittman and Kiggans, who voted for the House budget resolution that would require an $880 billion cut over 10 years in federal programs under the House Energy and Commerce Committee as part of a more-than-$1.5 trillion reduction in spending. The Congressional Budget Office said last month those cuts could not be achieved without reducing benefits under Medicaid or the Medicare program that primarily serves elderly Americans.
Both Virginia representatives also voted for a Senate amendment to the budget resolution earlier this month that proposes $1.5 trillion in spending cuts over 10 years, while not accounting for an additional $4.5 trillion in the budget deficit from extending tax cuts adopted in 2017 during Trump鈥檚 first term that are set to expire at the end of the year. The House resolution seeks to cut as much as $2 trillion to partly offset the increase in the federal deficit.
Wittman on Trump
Wittman, an 18-year House veteran whose district includes parts of Henrico, Chesterfield and Hanover counties, is politically conservative, but he recently has expressed concern publicly over elements of Trump鈥檚 agenda, including efforts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.
He鈥檚 also questioned cuts proposed by Elon Musk and the 鈥淒epartment of Government Efficiency鈥 to research funding at Virginia Commonwealth University, which awarded Wittman a doctorate in public health in 2002.
Virginia advocates for protecting Medicaid welcomed the letter, but said it does not allay concerns that cuts in federal spending will trigger the reversal of the program鈥檚 expansion at the beginning of 2019 under the Affordable Care Act. The expansion, which the General Assembly adopted and Gov. Ralph Northam signed in 2018, included a 鈥渒ill switch鈥 to reverse the expansion if the federal government reduced its share of the costs by more than 1%.
Reversing the program鈥檚 expansion would result in an estimated 630,000 Virginians losing their benefits unless the state decides to make up the costs that the federal government does not pay.
鈥淣otably absent from the list of people Rep. Wittman highlights as 鈥榲ulnerable鈥 in his remarks are working adults, parents, and adults between jobs,鈥 said Freddy Mejia, policy director at The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis, a left-leaning policy organization based in Richmond. 鈥淢edicaid expansion covers all of these groups, as well as many individuals with disabilities.鈥
Mejia said the letter鈥檚 commitments 鈥渦ltimately fall short鈥 of what Wittman and Kiggans鈥 constituents 鈥渁re asking for: No funding cuts to Medicaid and Medicaid expansion, and no additional red tape to coverage.鈥
Rep. Bobby Scott, D-3rd, senior member of Virginia鈥檚 congressional delegation, will feature a new Commonwealth Institute report on Medicaid at a public roundtable in Hampton on Thursday that will focus on potential cuts to the program.
The letter drew different reactions from Virginia members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-9th, said: 鈥淭he House Energy and Commerce Committee is finalizing what we need to do as instructed by the budget resolution that Congress passed. I believe that upon seeing the final product, the signers of the letter will support the Energy and Commerce portion of reconciliation.鈥
Rep. Jennifer McClellan, D-4th, whose district includes Richmond and parts of Henrico and Chesterfield counties, said Wednesday, 鈥淚鈥檓 glad to see my Republican colleagues voice support for Medicaid, but I am perplexed by their recent votes to advance a budget that the Congressional Budget Office says will require devastating Medicaid cuts 鈥 cuts that impact hundreds of thousands of Virginians in Mr. Wittman and Mrs. Kiggans鈥 districts who are covered by Virginia鈥檚 expansion.
鈥淲ith a narrow House majority, their votes will determine if these Virginians keep their care and if hospitals stay open,鈥 McClellan said.
鈥楩eeling heat鈥
Bob Holsworth, a veteran political analyst in Richmond, said the letter poses a major challenge to Johnson, who already faces criticism from members of the House Freedom Caucus, who say the Senate budget framework would not cut federal domestic spending enough.
Holsworth
鈥淚t鈥檚 just a real challenge in front of the Speaker and the President,鈥 he said. 鈥淵ou have two separate groups concerned about the bill from entirely different vantage points.鈥
Politically, Holsworth said, the letter reflects mounting pressure on Wittman and Kiggans from Democrats furious about Trump and Musk鈥檚 assault on the federal workforce and spending with little resistance from Republicans in Congress.
鈥淐learly, the Republicans are feeling some heat here,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 think there is some concern about what happens in Virginia鈥檚 2025 elections and what does that mean for 2026,鈥 when members of Congress face re-election.
In 2024 Wittman beat Democrat Leslie Mehta by nearly 13 percentage points. Kiggans topped Democrat Missy Cotter Smasal by about 4 percentage points.
Eight years ago, during Trump鈥檚 first term, Democrats used Republican resistance to Medicaid expansion to sweep the races for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general, and nearly eliminate the 16-seat advantage that the GOP held in the House of Delegates. The next year, Democrats flipped three congressional seats held by Republicans, as Democrats Abigail Spanberger, Jennifer Wexton and Elaine Luria won in the 7th, 10th and 2nd districts. Spanberger is now the Democratic nominee for governor after three terms in Congress.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a concern about a repeat,鈥 Holsworth said.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee recently targeted Wittman and Kiggans in midterm elections next year. Spokesman Justin Chermol dismissed the letter as 鈥渕eaningless.鈥
鈥淎ctions speak louder than words,鈥 Chermol said on Wednesday. 鈥淩ob Wittman and Jen Kiggans know they voted to greenlight a disastrous budget blueprint that would decimate Medicaid to fund trillions in tax breaks for Elon Musk and their billionaire donors.鈥
