🚨 BUSTED: Nick LaLota Caught Lying About Vote to Gut Medicaid

Congressman Nick LaLota lied to Long Islanders last month, according to a new report from KFF Health News and PolitiFact.

In a video posted on his official YouTube page, LaLota said, “On February 25, I voted yes on a budget resolution that protects Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid while cutting some spending elsewhere.”

However, LaLota – referencing the GOP Budget Blueprint that would enact the largest cut to Medicaid in history – is misrepresenting his vote.

Budget experts and nonpartisan groups like the CBO agree. According to KFF: “after removing Medicare from consideration, there’s not enough under the committee’s jurisdiction to cut $880 billion without substantially reducing Medicaid spending.”

DCCC Spokesperson Justin Chermol:
“House Republicans like Nick LaLota are on the run and lying about their extreme agenda because they know their vote to gut Medicaid is out of touch with the overwhelming majority of the American people. LaLota and every other vulnerable House Republican who advanced this far-right budget to fund trillions in tax cuts for their billionaire donors will be held accountable.”

Read more from KFF Health News below:

KFF Health News: Bill That Congressman Says Protects Medicaid Doesn’t — And Would Likely Require Cutting It
By Julie Appleby | March 25, 2025 

• On Feb. 25, Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) voted in favor of a House budget resolution that calls for sharp cuts in spending across a vast array of government areas. Medicaid is among the programs that could be at risk — catapulting it to the center of the political debate.

• A KFF tracking poll has found widespread public support for Medicaid, which suggests efforts to cut the program could face political headwinds.

• LaLota, who represents part of Long Island, posted a video for his constituents explaining his position: “I voted yes on a budget resolution that protects Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid while cutting some spending elsewhere.” Because much of his video focused on Medicaid, we did too. We found that his statement in this regard was layered with mischaracterizations and inaccuracies. Yet, in his video, LaLota advises his constituents to get their information straight from him, saying, “I’ll always be honest with you.”

• Let’s parse what the resolution does say and do, and the changes it could trigger for Medicaid.

• Explaining the Basics
  Budget resolutions are not law, but rather blueprints that guide lawmakers on budget-related legislation. The House-passed resolution — approved with 217 Republicans voting for it and 214 Democrats and one Republican against — is just one part of the budget process. The Senate also has a say, so changes are possible.

• As written, the resolution seeks broad spending reductions across a range of areas overseen by various committees. It specifically asks the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to submit proposals “to reduce the deficit by not less than $880,000,000,000 [$880 billion] for the period of fiscal years 2025 through 2034.”

• It does not say it would protect Medicaid. The word Medicaid is nowhere in the document. It does not prescribe any specific action on the program, such as instituting work requirements for recipients. Lawmakers separately draft legislation to make program adjustments to achieve the spending cut targets.

• The resolution directs the committee to draft legislative language that would cut spending from areas under its jurisdiction, which include Medicaid and about half of Medicare.

• Policy experts and the Congressional Budget Office have said that, after removing Medicare from consideration, there’s not enough under the committee’s jurisdiction to cut $880 billion without substantially reducing Medicaid spending. (Medicare is generally considered a third rail because its beneficiaries are a powerful voting bloc.)

• Indeed, of the $8.8 trillion in projected spending under the committee’s purview for the 10-year period, Medicaid accounts for $8.2 trillion, or 93%.

• “Even if the committee eliminated all of non-Medicare and non-Medicaid spending, they would still have to cut Medicaid by well over $700 billion,” said Alice Burns, an associate director of KFF’s Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured.

• Adding work requirements — most Medicaid recipients already have jobs — would not yield that level of savings and could increase state costs. Other cuts suggested by Republicans, including capping federal spending per enrollee, reducing federal matching dollars, and eliminating the use of provider taxes, which states use to pay for their share of Medicaid spending, could force states to cut spending or find new revenue sources.

• “Cuts to Medicaid could mean eliminating coverage for children, parents, working adults or those who might need long term care; limiting benefits; or cutting payment rates for health plans or providers. These choices could come at a time when state revenue growth is slowing, and most states face requirements to pass balanced budgets,” according to an analysis by Robin Rudowitz, vice president of the KFF Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured.

• Our Ruling
  LaLota said, “On Feb. 25, I voted yes on a budget resolution that protects Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid while cutting some spending elsewhere.”

• His statement is inaccurate and mischaracterizes laws and the language included in the budget resolution, creating a false impression of what his vote supported.

• The 32-word sentence that directs the Energy and Commerce Committee to trim $880 billion over 10 years from programs it authorizes does not include any protections, guardrails, or specific directions for the panel to follow.

• We rate this claim False.

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