Politics
AOC Blasts Murkowski Over Support for Trump’s Medicaid-Cutting Budget Bill
By Jake Beardslee · July 3, 2025
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) publicly criticized Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) this week for voting in favor of President Donald Trump’s sweeping new budget proposal, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The legislation, which includes deep cuts to Medicaid and reversals of key Biden-era policies, has become a lightning rod for criticism across the political spectrum.
Murkowski’s vote helped push the bill through a sharply divided Senate, where only three Republicans broke ranks with their party. The vote required Vice President JD Vance to step in and cast the tie-breaking vote. Murkowski, historically known for occasional opposition to her party, had been one of the final undecided senators before casting her vote in favor of the bill.
After the vote, Murkowski posted a lengthy explanation on X (formerly Twitter), admitting that it was “one of the hardest votes” she’s ever had to cast. She argued that while the bill remains flawed on a national level, her support was secured in part by concessions made for Alaska. “My goal throughout the reconciliation process has been to make a bad bill better for Alaska, and in many ways, we have done that,” she wrote. “While we have worked to improve the present bill for Alaska, it is not good enough for the rest of our nation—and we all know it.”
Ocasio-Cortez fired back, writing, “This isn’t about you. This is about the 17 million Americans whose health insurance you’re taking away. And after you turned your back on them to vote ‘YES,’ you said your fellow House GOP should vote NO.” She added, “Americans are going to suffer. YOU admit that. And YOU supported it.”
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the legislation would lead to 11.8 million more Americans being uninsured by 2034. Much of this would come from an estimated $790 billion in Medicaid cuts, intended to help fund approximately $4.5 trillion in tax breaks, including the permanent extension of the 2017 Trump tax cuts. Additional provisions of the bill include repealing most clean-energy tax credits enacted under President Biden, a $40 billion investment in border security, the launch of a new nationwide deportation initiative, and raising the federal debt ceiling.
Despite the pressure she faced from both sides, Murkowski accepted certain state-specific provisions offered by Republican leadership, such as enhanced SNAP and Medicaid carve-outs for Alaska. However, not all of those concessions passed parliamentary review, with some, like boosted Medicaid payments, ruled noncompliant with budget rules.
Reactions to the legislation have been polarizing. House Speaker Mike Johnson heralded the bill, proclaiming, “The time is now! President Trump is waiting with his pen. Today, we will deliver the One Big Beautiful Bill to the President’s desk—and the American people will FINALLY get the relief they demand and deserve.”
In contrast, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries condemned it as “Trump’s One Big Ugly Bill,” asserting that it would devastate working-class Americans.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer warned, “Today’s vote will haunt Senate Republicans for years to come,” predicting consequences such as hospital closures, job losses, and a rising national debt.
The bill’s path is not yet complete. The House must still vote on a reconciled version of the legislation before it can be signed into law. At present, Democratic leadership is delaying a final vote through extended floor speeches, with Minority Leader Jeffries having already spoken for more than six hours to stall proceedings.
The controversy reflects growing tensions not only between Democrats and Republicans but also within the GOP itself, as establishment figures, fiscal conservatives, and populist allies of Trump continue to jostle over the party’s direction and priorities.