Architect of massive Medicaid cut never paid back own PPP loan: report

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Raw Story

June 24, 2025 9:42PM ET


A key strategist behind Republicans' push to cut over half a trillion dollars from Medicaid by imposing new supposed anti-fraud controls has himself benefited massively from a federal program with virtually no oversight, Politico reported on Tuesday evening. "Brian Blase is president of Paragon Health Institute, which has taken on a high-profile role in the effort in Congress to slash Medicaid costs through work requirements and other reforms," said the report.

Blase has previously "called Medicaid America’s 'most flawed' entitlement program while advocating for changes that would reduce spending on the program by hundreds of billions of dollars." However, per the report, Blase accepted over $20,000 in loans from the Paycheck Protection Program, the controversial COVID-19 relief program that paid businesses forgivable loans to prevent layoffs during the height of the pandemic. The loan, made out to his consulting firm Blase Policy Strategies, LLC, was forgiven.

“Like millions of other Americans, I applied for a PPP loan as part of the shared national effort to keep the economy going during COVID,” he said. “I’m proud of the work that my Paragon team and I have done to expose how government programs often fail American patients, particularly the most vulnerable, and hard-working families.”

Republicans in the House passed around $600 billion in Medicaid cuts as part of President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill," largely by imposing harsh new work requirements on the program that could kick off millions of people, including some who already are working.

Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/medicaid-ppp/

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Link to Politico REPORT mention (scroll down) - https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-influence/2025/06/24/hillsdales-lobbying-pays-off-00422218

[Six117]

1. If there is * anything * that can be counted on -

it's hypocrisy.

[DENVERPOPS]

6. AND

I suspect we AINT SEEN NOTHING YET, they are on a roll

[cadoman]

2. those PPP loans turned out to be a massive welfare drop for the wealthiest people & corporations in the country

A low-key bailout that the general public is largely unaware of...

[travelingthrulife]

3. I remember when Trump declared there would be no accountability for these loans.

The pigs lined up at the trough.

[Jacson6]

4. I don't support republicans, but I don't think that PPP loans had to be paid back if a person meets certain conditions

I don't support these stupid Medicaid cuts either. My republican family members that owned a business all got PPP loans that were forgiven.



a penny for you and $100 for me.

[Igel]

7. Precisely.

Some argued that there needed to be some oversight, some way of at least attempting to reduce fraud.

The response from many in Congress was clearcut--who cares about that when people need the money (since it was mostly supposed to be a pass-through program)? And expecting it to be repaid ...? By the employees? By the employers? Those in Congress now that were of that thinking and their like-thinking citizens ... Have no basis for a complaint. It functioned exactly as predicted.

[twodogsbarking]

5. Did anyone pay them back? They handed that money out like candy on Halloween. No trick, all treat.

[republianmushroom]

8. Truthful, honest, moral republican politician. HAHAHA

Psst, if you find one let me know.

[FakeNoose]

9. Have ANY of them paid back their PPP loans?

It's not likely, and it's just one more reason why they re-elected Chump.