CMS Stopped Medicare Payments to California, and This Is How Gavin Newsom Responded

townhall.com

Yesterday, the Trump administration announced it was pausing more than $1 billion in federal Medicaid payments to Minnesota and California because of the suspected rampant fraud and noncompliance in both states. In a press conference with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) head Dr. Oz and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, it was announced that California will not receive $867 million until it can prove Medicaid and Medicare payments are legitimate.

Advertisement

Dr. Oz pointed out that California spending on in-home care went up 24 percent in the last two years, double the country's average. "California increased spending at twice the rate of the average of the rest of the entire nation," he said. "That doesn't make sense." Doubly so when you consider that California has had a net population loss over the last several years.

We all knew Gov. Gavin Newsom would respond to this pausing of payments, and he tried to blame President Trump for it. But it did not go well for Newsom, at all.

"They're withholding it. But we knew this weeks ago because we've been working with them, but they decided again to make it a thing," Newsom said.

Really? Newsom knew this weeks ago and didn't say a word about it until today? We don't buy that for a second.

"We're trying to be collaborative," he continued, "understand, it's ready, fire, aim for them. They're suggesting something but they haven't even gotten the response from the state. And now they're suggesting it very publicly in order to make. This is politics and you know it's politics. To the extent it's substantive, bring it on. We want to work with them."

CMS said it was withholding payments for noncompliance, after requesting information and a plan to address Medicare/Medicaid from California months ago. Has the Newsom administration sent that plan to CMS? Is Newsom really working with the Trump administration he routinely bashes?

Recommended

Advertisement

"But not with the BS. Not this, you know, this partisanship. That's what it is. You know it, everyone knows it. We take the issues very seriously," Newsom added.

So seriously, that the Democrats are trying to criminalize investigative journalism that exposes their corruption and fraud instead of, you know, addressing the corruption and fraud.

"I'm a taxpayer, I don't like waste. None of us likes waste, fraud. The fraud is the Trump administration," he said. "The waste is the jaw-dropping abuse to the taxpayers of this failed war in Iran. Want to talk about waste, fraud, and abuse."

You're doing great, Gavin.

"This is legendary status, hall of fame. One-of-one status. Trump administration on waste," Newsom continued. "Look at the Pentagon supplemental request and fraud. The great grift. The Qatari plane that includes almost a billion dollars of your taxpayer money. A billion dollars. By the way, almost the exact same amount they withheld on Medicaid in California to go to pay for his private plane that he'll be taking with him."

What is he even talking about?

Newsom so desperately wants to be President, and he knows he never will be.

Advertisement

He has no response because he knows there's fraud. So he has to deflect and blame President Trump for everything.

This is all projection, by the way.

As Townhall, CBS, Jennifer Van Laar over at RedState, and others have reported, there is massive fraud and corruption in California. And it happened on Gavin Newsom's watch, and Newsom did nothing to fix it. Because he doesn't want to. He's fine with waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars if it's done for the reasons he approves of and supports.

Editor’s Note: Every single day, here at Townhall, we will stand up and FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT against the radical Left and deliver the conservative reporting our readers deserve.

Help us continue to tell the truth about the Trump administration and its successes. Join Townhall VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.