House GOP Targets 'Fraud Prevention' in Welfare Programs for New Reconciliation Bill

Budget Chair Jodey Arrington calls for reviving Medicaid spending cuts, offsetting military investments with Pentagon waste

Mar. 10, 2026 at 4:35pm

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House Budget Chair Jodey Arrington said Republicans are eyeing 'fraud prevention' in federal and state safety-net programs as the main target for a new reconciliation bill, while also calling for reviving Medicaid spending cuts provisions that fell out of last year's GOP megabill. Arrington also wants to identify Pentagon spending cuts to offset new investments President Donald Trump wants for the military, though this will likely trigger pushback from GOP defense hawks.

Why it matters

The suggestion of additional cuts to safety-net programs comes as House Republicans vulnerable in the upcoming midterms deal with the political fallout of the Medicaid and food-aid cuts enacted last year. Meanwhile, the push for a new reconciliation bill faces serious internal doubts, especially after Trump failed to mention it in his address to Republican lawmakers.

The details

Arrington said Republicans needed to act after federal officials identified potentially billions of dollars of potential benefits fraud in Minnesota. He wants to revisit several proposals to reduce Medicaid spending that did not end up complying with strict Senate rules for a filibuster-skirting budget package last year, suggesting Senate Republicans didn't spend 'a lot of time' reworking them to pass muster.

  • On March 10, 2026, Arrington made these comments in an interview on the sidelines of the House Republican policy retreat.

The players

Jodey Arrington

The House Budget Chair who said Republicans are eyeing 'fraud prevention' in federal and state safety-net programs as the main target for a new reconciliation bill.

Rob Wittman

A Virginia Republican battling to keep a district that could be redrawn in Democrats' favor, who said 'I think we need to be very thoughtful about what we do and how we go about doing that' regarding potential cuts to safety-net programs.

Mike Johnson

The House Speaker who has repeatedly promised GOP hard-liners he will push for a new reconciliation bill, though he continues to face serious internal doubts.

Donald Trump

The former President who wants new investments for the military, which Arrington said he wants to offset with Pentagon spending cuts, likely triggering pushback from GOP defense hawks.

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What they’re saying

“The whole kit and caboodle of welfare is $1.6 trillion in our budget. But it's also not just welfare — it's programs across the federal government that states need to be responsible [for].”

— Jodey Arrington, House Budget Chair

“I'm going to listen to everything. I think we need to be very thoughtful about what we do and how we go about doing that.”

— Rob Wittman, Virginia Republican

“I think there's certainly waste at the Pentagon. I think the president and his team want to retool it, modernize it, but there's also going to be a capital investment associated with it. I just want to make sure that whatever we're spending, we're offsetting.”

— Jodey Arrington, House Budget Chair

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

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