Democrats have spent weeks fearmongering about so-called cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security in the One Big Beautiful Bill. Let’s be clear: those talking points are false, and they know it.

What this bill actually does is protect and preserve these critical safety net programs for the people they were designed to serve—pregnant women, children, individuals with disabilities, and seniors. It does so by taking on the real problem: waste, fraud, and abuse that have run rampant in our federal health programs for decades.

The fact is, we are not cutting benefits for people who truly need them. We are ensuring that only those who are legal, eligible, and truly unable to work are receiving taxpayer-funded assistance. It is not compassionate to keep a broken system running. It is irresponsible and unsustainable.

Consider this: over 1.4 million illegal immigrants are receiving taxpayer-funded Medicaid benefits. That’s not just wrong—it’s dangerous. In some cases, these individuals are even on federal terror watch lists. Illegal immigrants with serious criminal records and links to terrorism have been receiving Medicaid. The One Big Beautiful Bill puts a stop to that.

In addition to that, another 1.2 million people are enrolled in Medicaid despite being ineligible, and 4.8 million able-bodied adults without dependents are receiving full benefits with no requirement to work, volunteer, or pursue education or job training. Meanwhile, we hear from struggling families who actually qualify—disabled individuals, children, low-income seniors, pregnant women—who face delays and denials because Medicaid is being flooded by those who shouldn’t be on it.

Let’s be honest: if you’re fighting to protect benefits for people who are illegal, ineligible, or able to work and simply choose not to, you’re not fighting for the vulnerable—you’re fighting to protect the status quo of waste, fraud, and abuse.

This bill restores common sense. It requires able-bodied adults to engage in 20 hours of work, job training, volunteering, or education each week in order to remain eligible for Medicaid. That’s not radical—that’s responsible. We also reduce federal funds to states that knowingly use Medicaid to cover illegal immigrants, like California, which plans to spend nearly $10 billion subsidizing health care for undocumented individuals using federal dollars.

The One Big Beautiful Bill ends payments made for dead people and duplicate enrollees. One audit found over $4.3 billion in duplicate payments made to health insurers for just these cases.

It also rolls back Biden-era rules that blocked states from removing ineligible individuals from their Medicaid rolls and imposed unrealistic mandates on nursing homes—mandates that would’ve forced 80 percent of facilities nationwide to shut down due to staffing requirements they simply cannot meet.

The bill also improves access to care by increasing transparency in pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and cracking down on spread pricing schemes that, according to the FTC, cost Americans $7.3 billion in excess revenue in 2024 alone. This means lower drug prices and better access to medications, especially for seniors.

We are bringing back accountability. We are making sure resources go to those who truly need them—not to those exploiting the system. The One Big Beautiful Bill is not about taking care—it’s about fixing a broken system and saving it for the next generation.

Democrats can keep shouting their talking points, but the facts are on our side. This is a bill that puts the American people first—one that prioritizes working families, protects the most vulnerable, and stops Washington from wasting your money.

That’s not extreme. That’s leadership.

Congresswoman Erin Houchin represents Indiana’s 9th District and serves on the House Rules, Budget, and Energy & Commerce Committees.

The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.