Michigan House speaker embraces Medicaid, food stamp cuts during White House visit

Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall on Tuesday embraced federal cuts to Medicaid and food assistance, despite their potential impacts on the state budget.

"I can't force (Democratic Gov. Gretchen) Whitmer's administration ... to spend tax dollars wisely," Hall said in an interview at the White House. "But President Trump and the Congress can, because they're the ones who are entrusting her with the dollars. So if they just pay out accurately and don't pay out fraud, they won't get penalized."

Hall spoke to The Detroit News outside the West Wing after leading a delegation of "probably 70" Michigan Republican officials to Washington for meetings with high-level Trump administration officials. He said the visit was "very positive for Michigan" and too important to pass up, even as decision-makers in Lansing negotiate to break a deadlock over the state's roughly $83 billion budget some two weeks before a self-imposed July 1 deadline.

"It was expressed to us that Michigan is very important to President Trump. You saw that the last time I was here," Hall said, referencing his April visit to the White House with Whitmer.

He added: "So today, you know, I wanted to bring a number of our legislators up here and other county leaders so they could see how engaged the Trump administration is on supporting and helping Michigan."

Hall was among 32 Michigan House members who met Trump administration officials on Tuesday. Others included House Appropriations Chairwoman Ann Bollin, R-Brighton Township, and Majority Floor Leader Bryan Posthumus, R-Rockford, according to Hall's office.

Hall on Medicaid, SNAP cuts

Hall's comment about penalties was a reference to a provision in U.S. House Republicans' version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that would force Michigan to pay $778 million in nutritional assistance benefits — usually funded by the feds — from its own coffers.

When asked if he was concerned that GOP changes to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program would leave gaps in Michigan's budget, Hall emphasized his support for new work requirements.

"The Whitmer administration has a track record of paying out to a lot of people that they shouldn't be paying out to, for Medicaid and other benefits," the Richland Township Republican said. "So I believe that we should have work requirements or education requirements for able-bodied adults that are seeking Medicaid and other welfare."

"We shouldn't have people on the rolls for years and years and years, because we could spend that money on roads. We could spend it on education. We could spend it on a lot of other things," Hall added.

In Michigan, Medicaid provides healthcare coverage to more than 1 in 4 people, totaling 2.6 million beneficiaries, including 1 million children, according to state figures.

A state report issued in May warned that the new Medicaid work requirements would cause as many as 39% or 290,000 of the 749,375 adults enrolled in the Health Michigan Plan to lose their coverage. The change would also cost the state an estimated $75 million in administrative expenses. The work rules are targeted at the Healthy Michigan or Medicaid expansion enrollees, typically childless adults between the ages of 18 and 64.

The House GOP megabill would also freeze health care provider taxes that Michigan uses to pay for 20% or $3 billion of the state’s share of Medicaid programs. If that freeze prohibits Michigan’s Insurance Provider Assessment tax, that could create an additional $450 million hole in the state budget, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

As for SNAP, state Rep. John Roth, an Interlochen Republican who leads the legislative panel overseeing human services spending, has said the state would have to reconsider how it manages the benefits if faced with a $778 million penalty, equal to 25% of its federal funding for the program.

“We’re watching it carefully, and we will have to adjust. But could we take a 25% hit? No," Roth told The News last month. Roth was part of the Michigan House delegation at the White House on Tuesday.

U.S. House Republicans say they want to hold states accountable for the billions of dollars spent annually on erroneous payments to participants. Under the bill, the amount each state would have to contribute toward SNAP benefits is based on its payment error rate. States like Michigan, with high error rates (10.7% for 2023), would be responsible for more of the cost.

The Whitmer administration contends the GOP bill punishes states, in part, for errors made by household members when filling out applications or other paperwork to receive food stamps.

"There are parts of those error rates that we don't have any control over," Elizabeth Hertel, director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, told The News earlier this month. "If they were looking to consider making some changes to those (error rate) calculations, I think that that would work better for every state because, obviously, it's easier to address and improve on things that you have sole control over."

Michigan's day in Washington

Hall said that he and the all-Republican delegation, which included the 32 state representatives and additional county officials, had meetings with four of Trump's cabinet secretaries: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Health and Human Services), Howard Lutnick (Commerce), Linda McMahon (Education) and Scott Turner (Housing and Urban Development).

"This is probably one of the most impactful days that I've had as a state legislator to reach that far into the federal government for the people of Michigan," Hall said. The group also met with Trump's Domestic Policy Council.

The topics they covered included the banning of certain dyes in foods; tariff policies that Hall said "are working," as evidenced by a General Motors Co. announcement of a $4 billion new investment in U.S. assembly plants and the onshoring of specific truck and SUV manufacturing; affordable housing; "empowering" states to handle their own education systems; and cracking down on "sanctuary jurisdictions" that do not comply with federal immigration directives.

"They want our feedback on how they can help Michigan," the speaker said.

Asked about visiting Washington while budget negotiations proceed in Lansing, Hall deflected and criticized Whitmer for leading a weeklong trade mission to Australia amid the state budget impasse in Lansing.

"Whitmer is in Australia. Why don't you guys talk about that?" Hall asked.

Hall added that he plans to speak with Whitmer and Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, in the coming days.

"I'm still optimistic we'll get something by July 1 on the schools," he said. "But we need the Democrats. We need them to work in good faith and not just be no on everything."

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(Staff Writers Melissa Burke and Beth LeBlanc contributed.)

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