Scott Jennings: I Don’t Want To Pay For The 5 Million Able-Bodied People On Medicaid Who Choose Not To Work
CNN political commentator Scott Jennings tells CNN host Abby Phillip that there are nearly 5 million able-bodied people on Medicaid who choose not to work.
SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I don’t think these things are mutually exclusive. I think you can cut taxes or make the tax cuts permanent and add other tax cuts for working class Americans. I think you can do necessary welfare reform. I think you can invest in the southern border and border security, which this bill is doing. And then you can also pay attention to spending. Now, Pete’s right. I mean, some of this bill, doesn’t get to the mandatory spending and ultimately of the federal budget right now, like 21 percent of it is discretionary and the rest is just mandatory spending. So, you got to tackle that down the road. This isn’t a spending bill, it’s a reconciliation bill, and it’s largely a tax bill that makes the tax cuts permanent, adds tax cuts for working class Americans. On the Medicaid piece, though, there’s obviously going to be a big debate about this. I mean, there are like almost 5 million able-bodied people on Medicaid who simply choose not to work. They spend six hours a day socializing and watching television. And if you can’t get off grandma’s couch and work, I don’t want to pay for your welfare. PHILLIP: I don’t know where you’re getting those numbers. JENNINGS: CBO. CBO. PHILLIP: CBO says there are 5 million Americans who sitting on their couch watching television and — BAKARI SELLERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Regardless, this kicks 17 million — JENNINGS: CBO that you just cited.
