¶ Overview
- Harding supported the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which cut health care for 17 million Americans, including nearly 12 million Medicaid beneficiaries. More than 23,000 Nebraskans were estimated to be at risk to lose health coverage from the “One Big Beautiful Bill” that Harding defended.
- Harding advocated for balancing the budget “like we do in Omaha” if elected to Congress, which could requirecuts to Medicaid in order to achieve at the federal level. More than 114,000 Nebraskans in the 2nd District, relied on Medicaid for healthcare.
¶ Harding Supported A Bill That Took Health Coverage From Nebraskans
¶ Harding Supported the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” Which took health coverage from nebraskans
¶ Harding Supported The “One Big Beautiful Bill”
Harding Supported The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” According to Brinker Harding’s Instagram, “Two of my campaign pillars are Grow America and Secure America. The One Big Beautiful Bill does just that—cutting taxes for working families and making our border & homeland more secure. Happy Independence Day, America! 🇺🇸”
[Instagram, @brinkerharding, 7/4/25]
Harding Defended The “One Big Beautiful Bill” As A Historic Economic Policy And Said He Would Fight For Similar Policies. According to a Brinker Harding opinion in Omaha World-Herald, “In Congress, I'll fight against big government socialism that threatens our freedoms and prosperity. And I'll fight for an economy that empowers workers, families, and small businesses. That starts with the first expense Americans pay right out of their paychecks: taxes. With the Working Families Tax Cut, President Trump and Republicans stopped the largest tax increase in history, saving the average Nebraska household $2,400. Republicans passed historic tax cuts on tips, overtime and Social Security. And millions of Americans will receive the largest tax refunds of their lifetimes this spring.” [Brinker Harding Op-Ed – Omaha World-Herald, 1/23/26]
¶ The “One Big Beautiful Bill” Cut Health Coverage For MIllions Of Americans
¶ The Final Version Of Republicans’ Reconciliation Bill Was Estimated To Result In At Least 17 Million Americans Losing Their Health Coverage
HEADLINE: "At Least 17 Million Americans Would Lose Insurance Under Trump Plan" [Washington Post, 7/1/25]
- The Congressional Budget Office Estimated That 11.8 Million People Would Become Uninsured As A Result Of The Medicaid Cuts In Republicans’ Reconciliation Bill. According to the Washington Post, "The bill, which narrowly passed the Senate on Tuesday and now heads back to the House, would effectively accomplish what Republicans have long failed to do: unwind many of the key components of the ACA, President Barack Obama’s signature domestic achievement, which dramatically increased the number of Americans with access to health insurance. To start, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the Senate version of the bill would result in 11.8 million more uninsured in 2034, mostly because of Medicaid cuts, compared with 10.9 million if the House version became law." [Washington Post, 7/1/25]
¶ May 2025: House Republicans’ Budget Bill Would Kick Millions Of People Off Medicaid
The House GOP Budget Bill Was Estimated To Increase The Uninsured Population By 8.6 Million By 2034. According to CNN, “The Medicaid and Affordable Care Act provisions in the package could result in 8.6 million more people being uninsured in 2034, according to an early CBO estimate released by Democratic lawmakers. That number is expected to grow with the latest changes.” [CNN, 5/28/25]
¶ February 2025: The “Big, Beautiful Bill” Framework Spelled Out Future Medicaid Cuts
HEADLINE: “What Can House Republicans Cut Instead Of Medicaid? Not Much.” [New York Times, 2/25/25]
HEADLINE: "House Republican Budget Takes Away Health Care, Food Aid To Pay For Expanded Tax Cuts For Wealthy" [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2/21/25]
New York Times Reported The $880 Billion In Cuts Required By The Republican Budget Proposal Would Have To Come From Medicaid, Medicare, Or CHIP. According to the New York Times, "The budget resolution itself is silent on whether Congress cuts Medicaid, which provides health coverage to 72 million poor and disabled Americans. But it instructs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over the program, to cut spending by $880 billion over the next decade. If the committee can’t save at least that much, the entire effort could be imperiled because of the special process Congress is using to avoid a Senate filibuster. Ten other committees have their own instructions to follow, though none have been assigned with cutting nearly as much. It’s not so simple as finding the cuts elsewhere. The special process, known as budget reconciliation, means Republicans will have to find all $880 billion from within the Energy and Commerce Committee’s jurisdiction. That leaves them with fewer options than one might think. […] If Republicans want to avoid major cuts to Medicaid, the largest pot of available money is in the other big government health insurance program: Medicare. […] Even if the committee cuts everything that’s not health care to $0, it will still be more than $600 billion short. The committee could also save around $200 billion by eliminating the Children’s Health Insurance Program, but that option has not been raised by the budget committee or anyone in House leadership. […] Even if all of these cuts, revenues and rule cancellations from outside health care can pass muster, the committee will still be left with hundreds of billions of dollars to cut to hit its goal. Mathematically, the budget committee’s instructions mean the committee would need to make major cuts to either Medicare, Medicaid or both." [New York Times, 2/25/25]
¶ The “One Big Beautiful Bill” Put Thousands Of Nebraskans AT Risk Of LosING Health Coverage
2023: More Than 113,000 Nebraskans In The Second District Were Enrolled In Medicaid Or CHIP.
[Center for American Progress, 3/11/25]
23,036 Nebraskans In The 2nd Congressional District Were At-Risk Of Losing Their Health Coverage As A Result Of Republicans’ Budget Bill.
[Joint Economic Committee, June 2025]
¶ The “One Big Beautiful Bill” Was Estimated To Result In Significant Cuts To Nebraska’s Healthcare System
HEADLINE: How The “One Big Beautiful Bill” Slashes Nebraska’s Health Care. [Nebraska Appleseed, 8/18/25]
PRESS RELEASE: Medicaid Cuts Threaten Nebraskans’ Access To Health Care. [Press Release - Nebraska Medical Association, 6/26/25]
HEADLINE: Rural Hospitals Brace For $1 Trillion Medicaid Cut In ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’: ‘If We Do See A Cut Of That, It’ll Be Difficult To Keep The Doors Open.’ [Fortune, 7/4/25]
HEADLINE: “One Big Beautiful Bill” Has Nebraska Rural Hospitals Bracing For Potential Funding Impacts. [WOWT, 7/3/25]
¶ Harding Committed To Balance The Budget If Elected to Congress, Which Researchers Said Could Require SUBSTANTIAL CUTS TO Medicaid TO ACHIEVE
¶ Harding Promised To Balance The Budget In Congress
Harding Promised To “Balance The Budget” Like He Did On The Omaha City Council. According to Brinker Harding’s Facebook, “When we launched our campaign last week, I made a commitment to the voters of #NE02: To make America more like its Heartland. On the Omaha City Council, I’ve worked with my colleagues to balance Omaha’s budget every single year – without sacrificing essential services our residents rely on. In Congress, I will fight to grow our economy and eliminate wasteful spending to increase revenues, balance the budget, and save critical programs like Social Security and Medicare. Together, we will Restore America, Grow America, Secure America, and Renew America. Learn more at BrinkerHarding.com!” [Facebook, Brinker Harding, 7/8/25]
Harding Said He Was Running For Congress To “Take Those Good Things We Do In Omaha, Like Balancing The Budget” To Washington. According to Nebraska Examiner, "‘I’m running for Congress to make America more like its heartland,’ Harding said. ‘I want to take those good things we do in Omaha, like balancing the budget, [having] record low crime, [and] a strong economy and take that to Washington and be successful.’" [Nebraska Examiner, 7/1/25]
¶ Researchers Said Balancing The Budget Would Require Cutting Medicaid If Defense, Veterans, Social Security, And Medicare Were Off Limits
Committee For A Responsible Federal Budget Said If Defense, Veterans, Social Security, And Medicare Are Off Limits, The Equivalent Of Ending All Nondefense Appropriations And Eliminating Medicaid Would Be Required To Balance The Budget. According to Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, “In this analysis, we show that in order to achieve budgetary balance within a decade all spending would need to be cut by 27 percent and the necessary cut would grow to 78 percent if defense, veterans, Social Security, and Medicare spending were off the table. These cuts would be so large that it would require the equivalent of ending all nondefense appropriations and eliminating the entire Medicaid program just to get to balance.” [Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, 2/24/23]
Center On Budget And Policy Priorities Said There Is No Way To Lower The Debt Without Cutting Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Defense Spending, And Spending On Veterans Without Significant Revenue Increases. According to Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, "With Social Security, Medicare, long-term care in Medicaid, defense spending, and spending on veterans comprising two-thirds of federal program spending, there is simply no way to significantly flatten the debt trajectory while shielding these programs from cuts without additional revenue." [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 12/3/25]