Swamp Notes: How Medicaid cuts could shake up Maga episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 29, 2025 · 14 MIN

Swamp Notes: How Medicaid cuts could shake up Maga

from FT News Briefing

As Congress works through President Donald Trump’s recent budget, one of the likeliest cuts on the chopping block is Medicaid. The government health insurance programme is used by one in five Americans, including many voters who make up Trump’s Maga base. So could cuts to Medicaid actually threaten Trump’s hold on Republicans? Washington bureau chief James Politi and US politics and society correspondent Guy Chazan are on to discuss if a showdown is coming between the party’s fiscal hawks and those who’d like to preserve social welfare programmes. Mentioned in this podcast:The big government spending Maga voters can’t live withoutUS House passes budget resolution to cut taxes and spending by trillionsSign up for the FT’s Swamp Notes newsletter hereSwamp Notes is produced by Katya Kumkova. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Special thanks to Pierre Nicholson. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Congress works through President Donald Trump’s recent budget, one of the likeliest cuts on the chopping block is Medicaid. The government health insurance programme is used by one in five Americans, including many voters who make up Trump’s Maga base. So could cuts to Medicaid actually threaten Trump’s hold on Republicans? Washington bureau chief James Politi and US politics and society correspondent Guy Chazan are on to discuss if a showdown is coming between the party’s fiscal hawks and those who’d like to preserve social welfare programmes. Mentioned in this podcast:The big government spending Maga voters can’t live withoutUS House passes budget resolution to cut taxes and spending by trillionsSign up for the FT’s Swamp Notes newsletter hereSwamp Notes is produced by Katya Kumkova. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Special thanks to Pierre Nicholson. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Swamp Notes: How Medicaid cuts could shake up Maga

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This episode was published on March 29, 2025.

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As Congress works through President Donald Trump’s recent budget, one of the likeliest cuts on the chopping block is Medicaid. The government health insurance programme is used by one in five Americans, including many voters who make up Trump’s Maga...

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