Exclusive: Schumer probes $50 billion rural hospital "slush fund"

[applegrove]

Exclusive: Schumer probes $50 billion rural hospital "slush fund"

Stephen Neukam

https://www.axios.com/2025/07/25/schumer-50-billion-rural-hospital-fund-probe

Top Senate Democrats on Friday accused Republicans of using a $50 billion fund for rural hospitals to "pay off" GOP lawmakers for their support of the "big, beautiful bill," Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Democrats are demanding clarity on how the fund — created to ease the brunt of GOP Medicaid cuts — will be distributed to states.

* Over a dozen Senate Democrats penned a Friday letter to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz seeking the state-level decision details.

* "Republicans in Congress hastily developed the rural health slush fund to buy their members' votes and give their caucus political cover for voting for the reconciliation bill," the lawmakers said in the letter.

* Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) led Democrats in pressing Oz on the fund.

[Cha]

1. Good on the Dems...

TY!

[Irish_Dem]

2. So the GOP steals the $50B hospital fund, and the taxpayers have to pony up again

to replace the stolen funds?

[Demovictory9]

3. kick