In the News

WASHINGTON — Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) joined CBS News’ The Takeout with Major Garrett on Thursday to discuss House Republicans’ passage of H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and where it stands in the Senate.

Click here or above to watch Whip Emmer on CBS News.

Whip Emmer on how H.R. 1 will strengthen Medicaid for Americans who need it most:

“No one’s going to lose coverage, except for…1.4 million illegal aliens are no longer going to be on Medicaid. And I think Americans, regardless of their political persuasion, agree with that…Nobody’s going to be kicked off. Under the Biden administration, they stopped checking verification. They stopped verifying eligibility. I suppose if there are people who are not eligible for Medicaid who have been receiving it, they won’t receive it because they’re not supposed to be on the program. And then we have these very modest work requirements…An able-bodied, working-age, single adult without dependents will have to work – looking for a job or being trained for a job – 20 hours a week, or volunteer 20 hours a week, or be in school full time, or they aren’t going to be eligible. I think it’s pretty reasonable. And by the way, that means that no one is losing their coverage that is supposed to have coverage unless it’s by their choice and/or you’re an illegal alien. Then, you will not be covered by Medicaid.”

Whip Emmer on Hakeem Jeffries’ claim that Republicans are in a “civil war” over the One Big Beautiful Bill:

“Well, actually, it’s really interesting to hear that from my friend Hakeem Jeffries, because the civil war is actually in my grandfather’s Democrat Party. I mean, you got the progressives, the marxists, the socialists attacking the swing seat members. You’ve got DNC vice chairs who are bringing primaries against long-standing, governing-type Democrats. It’s pretty wild over there. So it's pretty interesting to hear Hakeem try to take the civil war that he is not going to be able to manage on his side and try to equate that to what’s happening on the Republican side. The Republican side has never been more unified. Donald Trump is doing exactly what 77 million people elected him to do. And look, Republicans are great at having debate. But as you’ve seen in the House, Major, when it comes time to get the job done – we get the job done, and we’ll keep doing it.”

Whip Emmer on President Trump and Elon Musk:

“Well, that’s between the president and Elon. Here’s what I know. Elon disagrees with the bill. President Trump is the guy I agree with. This is a great bill, and I’ve already told you why. This is going to be the greatest deficit reduction bill in the history of this country. It is going to prevent the largest tax increase in this country. And those young people over at Wharton may want to look, because in my district, if we have a $4.5 trillion tax increase because we don’t get this thing done, the average family is going to have an almost 20% increase in their taxes, Major. This is going to seal the southern border. It provides money for defense. I agree with the president that the Big Beautiful Bill is a great bill for America. And it’s going to kick off his golden age that he campaigned on and that he’s assured the American people they are going to experience.”

Whip Emmer on potential Senate changes to H.R. 1:

“I’ll tell you…one of the conversations that I may have had was more about what’s going to happen in the House, and do you expect we’re just going to take whatever you send us. My answer was no, I expect you’re going to make some changes. Hopefully, you’re going to keep those changes modest, because if you do anything dramatic, then we might have a problem. But I expect that they will do the things that they think are important. I think they will leave the structure of the bill intact, and they will send it back with the savings that are in it and the changes that they make. And then, we’re going to pass it and get it to the president’s desk, yes, on or before July 4th.”

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