John James Refuses to Commit to Keeping Michigan’s Medicaid Expansion

John James Refuses to Commit to Keeping Michigan’s Medicaid Expansion

Yesterday, Michigan GOP candidate for governor John James refused to commit to keeping Michigan’s Medicaid expansion, with the Detroit News reporting James “declined to answer a question Tuesday about whether he would get rid of Michigan’s Medicaid expansion program if elected governor next year.”

When the Detroit News asked “if he would get rid of the expanded Medicaid program if he became governor in 2027, when state budget analysts project deep cuts will be needed as a result of Trump’s tax bill,” James avoided the question, saying he wasn’t sure “how much we can get into politics.”

James was already one of the deciding votes for Trump’s budget bill that rips health care away from more than 450,000 Michiganders – and has refused to answer questions about it.

James isn’t alone in Michigan’s clown car of a GOP primary field in supporting the budget bill’s disastrous Medicaid cuts. Lobbyist Tom Leonard has said that he supports the bill 100%, Aric Nesbitt called the bill a win and voted against a resolution condemning the bill, and Mike Cox cheered the bill passing.

“John James has already voted to rip health care away from hundreds of thousands of Michiganders and now he’s leaving the door open to eliminate Medicaid expansion entirely,” said DGA Communications Director Sam Newton. “The GOP gubernatorial field may be fractured, but John James, Aric Nesbitt, Mike Cox, and Tom Leonard are all running to the far-right and agree on ripping health care away from working families.”

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