Capitol Police arrest protesters disrupting budget markup as Cory Booker thanks them for defending Medicaid

More than 2 twelve protesters were arrested for disrupting the House Energy and Commerce's fund reconciliation markup connected Tuesday, arsenic Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., thanked those holding tribunal successful the hallway. 

"Around 2 p.m., 26 radical were arrested for illegally demonstrating successful the Rayburn House Office Building. They were arrested for 22-1307 Crowding, Obstructing, and Incommoding. It is against the instrumentality to protestation wrong the Congressional Buildings," the U.S. Capitol Police Department told Fox News Digital. 

Dozens of protesters, galore successful wheelchairs, filled the halls extracurricular the John D. Dingell Room successful the Rayburn House Office Building connected Tuesday afternoon, chanting, "No cuts to Medicaid!" Several protesters, who were blocking the entranceway to the committee room, were wheeled distant and arrested by Capitol constabulary aft aggregate warnings. 

A defiant Booker walked by the fund markup during its archetypal hr and was greeted by the cheers and whistles of those protesting Medicaid cuts. Booker, who spent much than 12 hours protesting President Donald Trump's docket connected the steps of the U.S. Capitol conscionable 2 weeks ago, thanked the protesters for showing up to support Medicaid. 

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Demonstrators calling for preservation of Medicaid funding, are removed from the House Energy and Commerce markup of the FY2025 fund solution successful Rayburn gathering connected Tuesday, May 13, 2025.  (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

A Capitol constabulary serviceman confirmed to Fox News Digital that disruptors were arrested for protesting and would beryllium processed and released immediately. Many protesters remained successful the hallway during the archetypal fewer hours of the markup arsenic others were removed for shouting during the representative's testimonies and subsequently arrested. 

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"The assemblage is supportive that you're each present and participating. We privation you here. You're portion of the process. We privation you to beryllium here, but we person to proceed. And the rules of the House, and the instrumentality is that – if you're disruptive, you'll beryllium removed, and you're taxable to arrest. I don't marque that decision, the Capitol Police does," Kentucky Republican Rep. Brett Guthrie, Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, said pursuing 1 of respective disruptions by protesters. 

Inside the fund markup, Democrats and Republicans sparred implicit rhetoric astir Medicaid cuts. Democrats claimed the Republican fund measure would chopped captious entree to Medicaid, with galore representatives sharing stories of their constituents who person benefited from its services. Meanwhile, Republicans accused Democrats of lying to the American radical astir Medicaid cuts – a connection Guthrie deterred his colleagues from using. 

"I privation to nonstop 1 precise wide message: you're being lied to. The different broadside is telling you a batch of things astir this legislation. I'm not definite they person work this legislation," Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., who chairs the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee, said. 

Republicans mostly avoided the heavy cuts to Medicaid pushed by fiscal conservatives successful the House Republican Conference, which could service to payment mean Republicans who person fielded relentless attacks from Democrats implicit imaginable Medicaid cuts. House Republicans, however, person vowed to destruct waste, fraud and maltreatment successful the Medicaid program. 

Protesters staked retired the House Energy and Commerce's fund reconciliation markup connected Tuesday. (Fox News Digital)

The committee's fund markup includes accrued regulations and programme cuts to Medicaid, including tightened code verification requirements, ensuring deceased individuals are not enrolled, much supplier screening requirements, removing excess Medicaid payments, revising location equity limits for determining eligibility, prohibiting amerciable immigrants from obtaining Medicaid services, ensuring close payments, prohibiting backing for sex modulation procedures for minors and requirements for states to found Medicaid assemblage engagement programs. 

"This fund does not chopped Medicaid, Medicare oregon Social Security benefits for the Americans who genuinely request them. We are strengthening and protecting Medicaid for large women, children, individuals with disabilities, low-income seniors and susceptible families. These Americans volition proceed to person entree to the attraction they request and deserve. What we are doing is eliminating waste, fraud and abuse," Rep. Erin Houchin, R-Indiana, told the committee. 

But contempt Republicans' assurances that the projected fund does not chopped Medicaid, Democrats testified, 1 aft the other, astir the threats programme cuts airs to Americans. 

Protesters disrupted the House Energy and Commerce's fund reconciliation markup connected Tuesday. (Fox News Digital) (Fox News Digital)

"They are cutting this Medicaid attraction and these Medicaid dollars to wage for taxation cuts for Elon Musk and billionaires, truthful this wealth isn't adjacent going towards backing amended attraction for radical who are eligible… We are cutting wealth and wellness attraction from radical and families who are suffering, to wage for taxation cuts for the rich. It is simply a transgression happening successful beforehand of the American nationalist close now," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said. 

The projected authorities would enactment a caller 80-hour-per-month enactment request connected definite able-bodied adults receiving Medicaid, aged 19 done 64.

It would besides enactment guardrails connected states spending funds connected their expanded Medicaid populations. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) allowed states to grow Medicaid sum to adults who marque up to 138% of the poorness level.

Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., right, and Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., be the House Energy and Commerce markup of the FY2025 fund solution successful Rayburn gathering connected Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

More specifically, states that supply Medicaid sum to illegal immigrants could spot their national Medicaid reimbursement dollars diminished, putting much of that outgo connected the authorities itself.

The measure would besides necessitate states with expanded Medicaid populations to execute eligibility checks each six months to guarantee the strategy is not being abused.

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The Energy & Commerce Committee, which has wide jurisdiction, including implicit national wellness programs, telecommunications and energy, was tasked with uncovering astatine slightest $880 cardinal successful spending cuts to wage for different priorities successful Trump's "big, beauteous bill."

Guthrie told House Republicans connected a lawmaker-only telephone connected Sunday nighttime that the sheet had recovered "north of $900 billion" successful savings.