"Return the dignity of work to young men who need to be at work instead of playing video games all day."
Morgan Music / Published Apr 11 2025, 1:28 PM EDTHouse Speaker Mike Johnson defended cuts to Medicaid, insisting it would "return the dignity of work to young men who need to be at work instead of playing video games all day.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson defended Republican efforts to attach work requirements to Medicaid, suggesting that young American men are wasting their lives "playing video games all day" instead of working.
Johnson's remarks came as House Republicans pushed forward a budget framework that would help finance President Donald Trump's tax cuts, with plans to slash federal spending by trillions. GOP leaders are eyeing $880 billion in reductions to Medicaid, a move critics warn could gut health coverage for millions of low-income Americans.
Johnson attempted to sidestep claims of direct benefit cuts, instead blaming "able-bodied young men" for taking advantage of a program he said was meant for single mothers, the elderly, and people with disabilities.
"They're draining resources from people who actually do [need it]," Johnson said. "So if you clean that up... you save a lot of money and you return the dignity of work to young men who need to be at work instead of playing video games all day."
Despite Johnson's insistence that, "No one has talked about cutting one benefit in Medicaid," the work requirement would threaten health care access for millions, including Americans that are temporarily unemployed after being laid off.
A report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that as many as 36 million of the 72 million enrolled in Medicaid could be stripped of coverage under work requirements.
Trump has been promised a quick turn around on the bill, putting the pressure on Johnson and House Republicans to make significant cuts that can be rationalized to voters who stand to lose access to services, or—in Johnson's view—video game time.
