MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough had to intervene after a Republican lawmaker bristled at tough questions about health care and started yelling at another panelist.
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) appeared Friday on “Morning Joe” to defend the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law last month by President Donald Trump, and former Democratic senator Claire McCaskill put him on the spot over cuts to Medicaid in the massive tax-and-spending measure.
“Let’s quit talking about talking points and let me ask the congressman a very simple question,” McCaskill said. “If a human being in his district is in a really serious car wreck or is a victim of a shooting, and they show up at the ER of one of the hospitals in your district. Do you believe under the laws that are currently existing that that ER has to treat that person?”
“Yes, of course,” the congressman replied.
“Okay, so let’s assume that that person, because they had to sit on a phone for two hours trying to prove every six months they’re working, and they couldn’t get through or because the paperwork requirements are so onerous, which we saw happen in Kentucky and other places where they installed work requirements,” McCaskill continued. “Let’s assume that person works a minimum-wage job 50 hours a week, and they haven’t been able, because of the bureaucracy, to verify their work, or if there’s someone who is waiting for an immigration hearing when they go into that hospital with a dire trauma, the hospital has to treat them. Who’s paying for that with these cuts?”
Lawler protested, saying that McCaskill was presenting a lot of hypothetical scenarios, but she fired back that all of those possibilities were realistic and likely.
“I know you’re making hypothetical assumptions, number one,” Lawler pressed on. “Number two, you’re assuming people are too incapable of managing the system. The fact is, New York is going to administer the work requirements that will be enacted, which go into effect in 2027. We’re talking about able-bodied adults without dependent children, okay?”
McCaskill cut in, saying she’s not asking about that.
“What if somebody doesn’t do it?” McCaskill said, as Lawler continued talking. “I’m not asking about that, Mike. I’m not asking about that. I’m asking, no – who pays for it?”
Lawler said the state would pay for that hospital visit in McCaskill’s scenario, and Scarborough interrupted and asked the producers to put him on camera.
“Come to me right now,” the host said. “Come to me right now. We don’t do this. Claire’s going to ask a question, Mike. You’ll have time to respond to the question, all right, but none, none of the cross talk. Claire, ask your question and then, congressman, respond. Claire, go.”
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