In 2025, Kelly Ayotte backed “some of the cuts” in Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which the Congressional Budget Office estimated would trigger $500 billion in cuts to Medicare.
While in the U.S. Senate, Kelly Ayotte supported major Medicare changes that would have reduced funding and delayed access to coverage. In 2015, Ayotte voted for a Senate Republican budget resolution calling for $430 billion in Medicare cuts.
From 2011-2012, Ayotte repeatedly voted for budget proposals that raised the Medicare eligibility age to 67.
2025: Kelly Ayotte Said She Was “On Board With Some Of The Cuts” In Trump’s Reconciliation Budget Bill. According to WMUR, “Gov. Kelly Ayotte said Wednesday her administration is already evaluating how to implement changes from President Donald Trump's tax cut and spending bill, saying there are cuts coming that she does not support. Meeting with the Executive Council in Bretton Woods, Kelly Ayotte said she is not on board with some of the cuts being made in the budget reconciliation bill Trump recently signed into law. ‘There are aspects of it, of course, that I disagree with,’ Kelly Ayotte said. ‘Like, for example, it looks like there's going to be reductions in SNAP. We're evaluating the impact on Medicaid, and this is important, because as governor of the state, my job is to make sure that we serve our most vulnerable citizens.’” [WMUR, 7/9/25]
The “One Big Beautiful Bill” Sped Up The Timeline For When The Medicare Trust Fund Will Become Insolvent, And Without Additional Action, The Bill Would Trigger A $500 Billion Cut In Medicare Funding Between 2026 And 2034. According to Medicare Advocacy, “On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed into law H.R. 1 – the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB). This sweeping legislation narrowly passed Congress through a special budget process (‘reconciliation’), which allowed it to pass the Senate with a simple majority vote rather than the usual 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. The law extends tax cuts that were first enacted in 2017 and funds other administration priorities. To help pay for these policies, it makes unprecedented cuts to critical safety-net programs that provide health care and other assistance. […] Even with these significant cuts, the Act is still projected to add at least $3.4 trillion to the national debt.[2] It also speeds up the timeline for when Medicare’s trust fund (which pays for hospital care) will become insolvent. If Congress takes no additional action, automatic spending cuts will be triggered, reducing Medicare funding by approximately $500 billion between 2026 and 2034.” [Medicare Advocacy, 7/24/25]
2015: Kelly Ayotte Voted To Make $430 Billion In Unexplained Cuts To Medicare, As Part Of The FY 2016 Conference Report Budget Resolution. In May 2015, Kelly Ayotte voted for the FY 2016 conference report budget resolution which, according to the Congressional Conference Report, “The agreement proposes the same amount of Medicare savings reflected in the Senate-passed fiscal year 2016 budget as a target to extend the life of the Hospital Insurance trust fund and tasks the committees of jurisdiction in the House and Senate with determining the specific Medicare reforms needed to bring spending levels under current law in line with the budget.” According to Bloomberg, the Senate’s original budget, “avoided a plan to partially privatize Medicare that the U.S. House of Representatives embraced in its budget [and] instead call[ed] for $430 billion in spending cuts without explaining where they would be made.” The vote was on the Conference Report; the Conference Report passed by a vote of 51 to 48. [Senate Vote 171, 5/5/15; Conference Report, 4/29/15; Bloomberg, 3/27/15]
2012: Kelly Ayotte Voted To Consider Sen. Pat Toomey’s Proposed Budget That Increased The Medicare Eligibility Age To 67 By 2034. In May 2012, Kelly Ayotte voted to consider the Ryan budget Medicare plan, as part of Sen. Pat Toomey’s (R-PA) proposed budget resolution covering fiscal years 2013 to 2022. According to a press release from Sen. Toomey, his budget contained a provision that “Adopts the long term Medicare reform plan included in the House FY 2013 budget (effective 2023).” According to the Congressional Research Service, “The (Ryan) budget proposal would gradually increase the Medicare eligibility age to 67. Beginning in 2023, the age of eligibility for Medicare would increase by two months each year until it reached 67 in 2034.” The vote was on a motion to proceed to consider the resolution; the motion failed by a vote of 42 to 57. [Senate Vote 99, 5/16/12; Senator Pat Toomey Press Release, 4/18/12; CRS, 3/29/12]
2012: Kelly Ayotte Effectively Voted To Increase The Medicare Eligibility Age To 67 By 2034 As Part Of The FY 2013 Ryan Budget. In May 2012, Kelly Ayotte effectively voted to increase the Medicare eligibility age to 67 by 2034, as part of House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) proposed budget resolution covering fiscal years 2013 to 2022. According to the Congressional Research Service, “The budget proposal would gradually increase the Medicare eligibility age to 67. Beginning in 2023, the age of eligibility for Medicare would increase by two months each year until it reached 67 in 2034.” The vote was on a motion to proceed to consider the House-passed budget resolution, which the Senate rejected by a vote of 41 to 58. [Senate Vote 98, 5/16/12; CRS Report #R42441, 3/29/12; Congressional Actions, H. Con. Res. 112]
2011: Kelly Ayotte Effectively Voted For FY 2012 Ryan Budget, Which Raised The Medicare Eligibility Age To 67 By 2033. In May 2011, Kelly Ayotte effectively voted for increasing Medicare eligibility to 67 by 2034, as part of House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) proposed budget resolution covering fiscal years 2012 to 2021. According to CBO, “Starting in 2022, the age of eligibility for Medicare would increase by two months per year until it reached 67 in 2033.” The vote was on a motion to proceed to consider the House-passed budget resolution, which the Senate rejected by a vote of 40 to 57. [Senate Vote 77, 5/25/11; CBO, 4/5/11]