OPINION:
Radicals in Washington are trying to revoke the new employment requirements for able-bodied, working-age adults. They seem to want more Americans to be dependent on the government.
Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer is sending a clear message that Senate Democrats will filibuster any bill to fund the federal government that does not repeal nearly all the health care savings from the 2025 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, originally known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. They continue to highlight their disdain for the law that ended Medicaid assistance for those who are working age as well as physically and mentally capable of employment.
When I was governor of the great state of Wisconsin, we pushed the same requirements. Many of the same radicals fought us. I believe that true freedom and prosperity come not from the clumsy hand of the government but from the dignity that comes from hard work.
Public assistance should be more like a trampoline and less like a hammock. For those who can work, we should help them get job-ready, but programs such as Medicaid should be for the truly needy, including children, families and the elderly. Anything else is dooming people to a life of dependence on the government. Modern-day serfdom is not the answer.
King Solomon wisely said in the Book of Ecclesiastes that “a person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God.”
As humans, it is in our nature to work. No one wrote in my high school yearbook, “Good luck becoming dependent on the government.” Thankfully, we dream bigger at that age. It is wise to help more people achieve their piece of the American dream without depending on government assistance.
Senate Democrats appear to be upset by other provisions in the 2025 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The law blocks funding for surgery that would mutilate the sex organs of children. All 50 states have some law that prohibits minors from getting tattoos. Logically, the intent of these laws must be that minors cannot legally consent to things that could permanently change their bodies.
How much greater is the danger to a child if someone surgically removes a male or female sex organ? We must protect young people from these life-altering procedures, and we certainly must not use funding from hardworking taxpayers.
Medicaid must be used for people living in poverty. When I became governor, eligibility for the program was 200% of the federal poverty level. However, the previous governor and Democratic majorities in the state Legislature did not fully fund the program. That meant people living in poverty were on a waiting list for Medicaid benefits.
We changed that after I became governor. We restored Medicaid to those living in poverty, ended the waiting list and moved able-bodied, working-age adults into the workforce. At the time, we had more people working in our state than ever before.
In fact, we were one of the few states with no gap in health care coverage and the only one that did not take the Obamacare expansion of Medicaid. Other states would have been wise to follow our lead. Those that did would not be vulnerable to changes in federal funding for Medicaid in the states. We demonstrated that commonsense, conservative reforms are effective.
Senate Republicans will be under considerable pressure to back down. Thankfully, President Trump has sent a clear message that he will not be intimidated by the radicals in Washington.
Democrats do not seem to be truly interested in policy. Instead, they support actions that will make more people increasingly dependent on the government. We should be committed to the opposite as we strive to help people acquire the skills they need to succeed on their own.
One other thing: Federal lawmakers should change the law so we do not face perennial threats to shut down the government. Instead, they should do what we do in Wisconsin.
When elected officials fail to pass a state budget by the deadline in my state, the government continues to operate at the base level of the two-year budget. This prevents big spenders from holding operations hostage as they push for massive increases in their pet projects. While they are at it, they should enact a two-year budget for the federal government. All this would add stability to an uneasy process.
Each of us should let our federal representatives know of our concerns. Work requirements are good for those who are able. Taxpayers should not be paying for the benefits of those who enter our country illegally, particularly if they commit another crime. No one should be allowed to surgically mutilate the sex organs of minors. And radicals should not be able to hold the federal government hostage for more spending.
• Scott Walker is a columnist for The Washington Times. He was the 45th governor of Wisconsin and launched a bid for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. He lives in Milwaukee and is the proud owner of a 2003 Harley-Davidson Road King. He can be reached at swalker@washingtontimes.com.
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