Hakeem Jeffries echoed the mainstream media when he said “PEOPLE WILL LITERALLY DIE” because of the One Big Beautiful Bill. This is a complete fabrication and the only people who will die are those able to work who refuse to do so.
The truth is that Medicaid will be strengthened for the very groups it was created to support — pregnant women, children, low-income seniors, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable families. By removing at least 1.4 million illegal immigrants from the program, ending taxpayer-funded gender transition procedures for minors, and cracking down on fraud and waste, the bill ensures that resources are directed where they belong: to American citizens in need.
Additionally, 4.8 million able-bodied adults currently enrolled in Medicaid are not working. The bill introduces simple, reasonable requirements, like those backed during the Clinton era, for work, education, training, or volunteering. These measures aren’t punitive; they’re designed to help people build better lives through the dignity of work. Even Joe Biden has supported work requirements in the past, making this a truly bipartisan solution.
The work requirements for able-bodied adults on Medicaid promotes self-sufficiency and restores dignity, providing people an opportunity to earn their own wages, rather than depending on handouts.
Public opinion strongly supports the implementation of work requirements for Medicaid. A recent KFF Health Tracking Poll found that 62% of adults favor such measures, including 82% of Republicans, 60% of independents, and nearly half of Democrats. The same poll also revealed that a large portion of the public is unaware that most Medicaid recipients are already working or participating in other qualifying activities.
This lack of awareness underscores just how dishonest Democrats and their media allies have been in portraying these commonsense requirements as some kind of new Trump-era tyranny, rather than a continuation of longstanding bipartisan policy.
Work requirements for public assistance programs are policies that condition eligibility on participation in employment-related activities such as job training, job searching, part-time work, or volunteering. These requirements have been applied or proposed for programs like Medicaid, SNAP (food stamps), child care subsidies, and public housing. Legally, work requirements are supported through federalism principles, particularly Section 1115 waivers of the Social Security Act, which allow states to pilot reforms that further the objectives of public assistance programs. Courts and policy experts have recognized states’ role as “laboratories of democracy,” granting them flexibility to experiment with initiatives like these.
Operationally, work requirements improve efficiency by directing aid to those who genuinely need it and helping able-bodied adults without dependents move out of poverty. They also reduce waste and abuse by encouraging employment and discouraging long-term dependency. Historically, these policies have shown success: following the 1996 welfare reforms, national caseloads dropped dramatically while employment among single mothers and low-income families rose significantly.
More recently, advocates have argued that work requirements can help rebuild the post-pandemic labor force by reconnecting millions of able-bodied adults to the workforce amid ongoing job shortages.
In addition to economic and administrative benefits, work requirements offer important social and health advantages. Studies cited by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have shown that employment is positively correlated with improved physical and mental health outcomes, including lower rates of depression, longer life expectancy, and reduced hospitalizations.
By promoting routine, responsibility, and self-sufficiency, work requirements encourage better habits and upward mobility. They also serve as a natural screening mechanism, ensuring that limited resources are directed to individuals truly in need while reducing unnecessary enrollment and making safety-net programs more sustainable in the long term.
Work requirements may also yield long-term benefits for families by promoting better outcomes for both parents and children. Proponents argue that requiring parents to work or participate in job-related activities helps break the cycle of dependency by modeling responsibility and discipline for their children.
A policy paper from the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) noted that “work is the best way to reduce dependency” and emphasized the importance of parents setting a positive example. Research by welfare expert Ron Haskins found that in some work programs—especially those that increased family income through earnings supplements—children showed modest improvements in academic achievement and social development, particularly when they were enrolled in center-based child care.
The evidence supports the idea that work requirements can contribute to both financial stability and improved educational outcomes for children. These findings strengthen the argument that welfare policy should not only address immediate financial need but also promote long-term self-sufficiency and family well-being.
The post Contrary to What the Media and Democrats Have Reported: No One Is Dying Because of the Big Beautiful Bill appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.