Why many Republicans think shrinking Medicaid will make it better
![From left: U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, Senator John Barrasso, a Republican from Wyoming, President Donald Trump, Senator Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican from West Virginia, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, speak to the media on Jan. 8, 2025.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1024x683 0 0/resize/1024x683!/?url=http://npr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com/01/42/60c1cec040cc9ba8dece8b3f0b1e/gettyimages-2192427034.jpg)
Republicans proposals to change the public health insurance program for low-income and disabled Americans could amount to more than $2 trillion of cuts over the next decade.
(Image credit: Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg)