Trump: Harris voted to cut Medicare

Donald Trump falsely claims Kamala Harris cut Medicare

“As vice president, Kamala Harris cast the tie-breaking vote to cut, as you know, Medicare by $273 billion. She cast a vote to cut Medicare.”

During a July 24 campaign rally in Charlotte, N.C., Trump claimed that Vice President Kamala Harris passed legislation in the U.S. Senate to cut Medicare spending by nearly $300 billion. Trump's statement is based on a Wall Street Journal op-ed by Tomas Philipson, a University of Chicago economist and former Trump official. Philipson argued that the Inflation Reduction Act would harm Medicare patients by driving up costs.

The IRA's health care measures are expected to save taxpayers $237 billion over 10 years through prescription drug pricing negotiations and capping out-of-pocket spending for beneficiaries. Despite the savings, multiple experts refute the notion that this equates to a "cut" to Medicare services or benefits.

PolitiFact rates Trump’s claim False.

Sources:

• Wall Street Journal op-ed by Tomas Philipson
• Congressional Budget Office analysis
• Phone interview with Andrew Mulcahy, senior health economist at Rand Corp.
• Phone interview with Juliette Cubanski, deputy director of the program on Medicare policy at KFF.