“An influential group of House Republicans has invited a chief architect of the hard-right push for deep Medicaid spending cuts to brief congressional aides Thursday as GOP leaders quietly map out a possible second party-line reconciliation package.
Brian Blase, president of the Paragon Health Institute, will address a staff briefing on health care reform hosted by the Republican Study Committee, according to an invitation obtained by POLITICO.
The RSC, composed of 189 House conservatives, has been a key force pushing for a follow-on to President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” that was signed into law last month. The group has invited several conservative experts to address staffers in recent weeks though it has yet to endorse any specific health care policies for any forthcoming package.
House leaders discussed the topic with GOP chairs right before the chamber left for August recess, according to two Republicans granted anonymity to discuss the private gathering, tasking them with compiling lists of possible spending cuts and other ideas.
What policies might be addressed in a second package is far from settled, though some House GOP factions are discussing further slashing Medicaid as well as possibly targeting Medicare funding.
Blase was allied with conservative hard-liners earlier this year in pushing for significant cuts to Medicaid in the first GOP package. He was the initial author of a letter arguing for “structural” changes to the program that Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and 19 other hard-right members later sent to their House Republican colleagues”.
Read more at Politico.