Tulsa’s U.S. Representative, Kevin Hern, gave his take on President Donald Trump’s impending Medicaid cuts and trade policies Wednesday during a forum hosted by the Tulsa Regional Chamber.
Hern said he didn’t know just how sweeping the impacts of Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” would be, especially on local health care systems.
He praised the new work requirements for Medicaid, which are scheduled to go into effect the next few years.
“What we don’t want to do is waste benefits on people who are able to take care of themselves,” Hern said. “An 80%+…most popular thing in America is for people to work if they are able to work in America.”
That “80%” figure Hern referred to appears to come from a March poll conducted by the Paragon Health Institute, a think tank founded by a former Trump advisor.
A poll from KFF the same month showed that about 62% of American voters supported work requirements for Medicaid.
Notably, only 17% percent favored decreased funding for Medicaid.
Hern said he had trepidations on the president’s tariff policy but remains optimistic about using them as leverage.
“If we use tariffs as a negotiating tool to get people to the table, I’m all for it. If we’re using it as a weapon, I’m not,” Hern said. “I’m [in] exactly the same position as one of the most liberal persons on [the] Ways and Means Committee.”
Hern said he doesn’t always agree with what he calls the Trump administration’s use of “blunt force trauma” when it comes to moving legislation forward.
