Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) on Tuesday said the public will “take every dime they can” from government programs like health care.
Asked by a reporter how public perception of the Republican bill to repeal and replace Obamacare is affecting the Senate’s deliberations, Hatch said “the public wants every dime they can be given.”
“Let’s face it, once you get them on the dole, they’ll take every dime they can,” Hatch said, as quoted by CNN. “We’ve got to find some way of getting things under control or this country and your future is going to be gone.”
As he left a meeting on Tuesday where Republican lawmakers began drafting their own legislation, Hatch made similar remarks signaling that the Senate may pursue deep cuts to Medicaid.
“We’ve got to get it under control. Right now it’s out of control,” Hatch said of Medicaid’s budget. “It’s going to be really out of control if we don’t do something.”
