Dear friend.

There have been many conflicting messages about what is really in the reconciliation bill (the One Big Beautiful Bill) recently passed by the House. So, I’ve decided to bust some of those claims!

Some people are wondering WHY President Trump’s DOGE cuts aren’t included in the OBBB. The most relevant answer is due to Senate rules that only mandatory spending can be included in a reconciliation bill, not discretionary spending. The DOGE cuts primarily fall in the discretionary category, so Congress would need a standalone rescissions request from OMB to enact DOGE cuts into law.

Many national liberals claim that the vast majority of able-bodied adults without young children are working and that a work requirement of 80 hours a month is too burdensome. According to the 2023 Survey of Income and Program Participation, only 44% of this segment worked at least 80 hours a month.

So, what are those not working doing with their time? According to the American Time Use Survey (ATUS), used extensively in government and academic research, Medicaid recipients who are able-bodied, age 19-64 without children in school, spend:

• 125 hours a month watching television and playing games, more than the 80 hour work requirement
• 184 hours a month on all socializing, relaxing and leisure activities, including television and video games
• 4 hours doing housework and errands
• .47 hours caring for others, and
• ONLY .36 hours looking for work.

What are Medicaid recipients who are working doing with their time? According to the same ATUS survey, they are:

• Work an average of 4.2 hours a day, or 126 hours per month. More than the requirement of 80 hours a month
• 4.5 hours on socializing, relaxing and leisure activities, including television and games.

Perhaps the work requirements really aren’t that burdensome.

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As always, if you have questions or comments, feel free to reach out to me at https://bacon.house.gov/contact/