Budget Committee targets Medicare in reconciliation despite pledge

Despite campaign promises to protect Medicare and Social Security, Trump officials are seeking cuts to pay for massive tax breaks while pushing privatization through Medicare Advantage expansion

The Congressional Budget Office confirmed Trump's simultaneous promises of Medicare protection, massive tax cuts, and defense spending increases are mathematically incompatible without benefit reductions or deficit explosion

The administration restricts Medicare eligibility through regulatory changes, prior authorization requirements, and coverage limitations while avoiding statutory amendments to maintain technical claim of protection

Private insurance companies receive increased subsidies to manage Medicare Advantage while traditional Medicare faces funding reductions, steering seniors toward corporate-managed plans with limited networks

The Inflation Reduction Act's Medicare prescription drug price negotiation powers are being eliminated through administrative defunding rather than legislative repeal

Seniors pay full retail drug costs while pharmaceutical companies retain pricing power as the Trump administration eliminates funding for Medicare's negotiation process

Administrative Medicare changes achieve benefit cuts without congressional authorization, demonstrating how bureaucratic modifications reduce benefits while maintaining campaign promise facades