U.S. Senator James Lankford (R-OK) is receiving strong criticism for his claim that Republicans’ budget legislation does not remove millions of Medicaid users from the program, but rather “transitions” them to employer-based health care programs.

Just slightly more than half of private employers (53%) offer health care to employees, according to KFF, and largely only to those working full-time. Many employers hire part-time workers to avoid having to pay for health care coverage. And many people who work are part of the gig economy, working at jobs that offer flexible scheduling but who are not hired as employees, and are not offered health care. Some are forced to take seasonal jobs, which can dry up in the off-season.

“People are screaming and saying, “Hey, it’s kicking people off Medicaid.’ It’s not kicking people off Medicaid. It’s transitioning from Medicaid to employer-provided healthcare,” Senator Lankford, an ordained Baptist minister, told CNBC on Thursday (video below).

READ MORE: Trump’s DOT Is Spending Millions to Investigate If DEI Is to Blame for Plane Crashes

“So, yes, we’ve got 10 million people that are not going to be on Medicaid, but they then are going to be on an employer provided healthcare. We think that’s a better option for the taxpayer, and quite frankly, for their families, as well,” he added.

(Other reports have put the number of people losing health care or other benefits, such as SNAP, Medicare, and Affordable Care Act coverage, at at least 13.7 million.)

Journalist Jane Coaston called Lankford’s remarks “Huge news for companies like DoorDash that don’t provide health insurance to employees.”

Discussing the legislation’s work requirement, the Congressional Budget Office, (as HuffPost’s Arthur Delaney noted,) made clear: “Few of those disenrolled from Medicaid because of the policy would have access to and enroll in employment-based coverage and none would be eligible for the premium tax credit.”

Critics blasted the Oklahoma Republican.

READ MORE: ‘Made Government Newark Airport’: Moskowitz Mocks GOP, Trump Failures

“Someone tell @SenatorLankford how many jobs don’t offer health insurance. Tell him about the cost-sharing that people making $20/hr can’t afford,” observed Dr. Rob Davidson MD, MPH, head of the Committee to Protect Health Care. “They’re so detached from the people they represent, it’s no wonder they pass laws to benefit the billionaires who get them elected.”

The Washington Post’s Benjy Sarlin asked, “So you’re going to require employers provide health coverage, right?”

Podcaster and political commentator Fred Wellman, an Army combat veteran, asked, “What the f— is he talking about? We have a gig economy. Millions of employers don’t offer healthcare. He. Is. Lying.”

“Nearly 50% of employers don’t offer healthcare benefits,” noted Oklahoma Democratic state Representative Forrest Bennett. “This messaging is meant to lull folks into a false sense of security so they don’t *rightfully* scream that Trump and his Congressional allies are indeed kicking 10+ million people off of Medicaid. Don’t buy the b——-.”

Watch the video below or at this link.

Lankford: “People are screaming and saying, ‘It’s kicking people off Medicaid.’ It’s not kicking people off Medicaid. It’s transitioning from Medicaid to employer-provided healthcare. So yes, we’ve got 10 million people that are not gonna be on Medicaid, but they then are gonna… pic.twitter.com/PkQHalchgK

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 5, 2025

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Image via Shutterstock

In late January, just hours after the deadliest U.S. aviation disaster in more than 20 years—and as families and the nation were still grieving—President Donald Trump, without evidence, blamed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) for the crash that killed 67 people near Washington’s Reagan National Airport.

“Trump blamed former President Joe Biden’s administration for encouraging the Federal Aviation Administration to recruit workers ‘who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative,'” the Associated Press reported. “He added that the program allowed for the hiring of people with hearing and vision issues as well as paralysis, epilepsy and ‘dwarfism.'”

The President provided no proof that unqualified air traffic controllers were to blame, or even that any air traffic controllers who were not qualified had been hired, although “he acknowledged that there was as yet no indication that air traffic controllers at Reagan National Airport made any mistakes.”

READ MORE: ‘Made Government Newark Airport’: Moskowitz Mocks GOP, Trump Failures

On the first day of his second term in office, Trump signed numerous executive orders, some focused on DEI, including one titled, “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing.”

Now, the Trump administration’s Department of Transportation, under Secretary Sean Duffy, is spending over $2 million to investigate whether DEI causes plane crashes.

The Atlantic‘s Isaac Stanley-Becker reports he has “obtained the ‘scope of work’ document” for the multi-million dollar investigation. That document “is marked ‘privileged’ and ‘confidential’ and has not been previously reported. It shows how the president’s musings—his accusations, he said at the time, were based on ‘very strong opinions and ideas’—translate into taxpayer-funded government action.”

It appears that Trump’s baseless allegations likely will be determined to be just that.

“Contrary to what Trump may hope,” Stanley-Becker reveals, “it’s not expected to find that programs aimed at ensuring representation for women and people of color are responsible for this year’s string of aviation disasters, including the January crash at Reagan airport, which killed 67 people and prompted Trump’s tirade against DEI.”

“That determination, several air-traffic controllers told me, hardly required a multimillion-dollar probe.”

READ MORE: ‘Vindictive Erasure’: Hegseth Ripped for Pride Month Order to Rename USNS Harvey Milk

Image via Reuters 

During a House committee hearing, U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) sharply—and sharp wittedly—criticized Republicans and the Trump administration for failing to achieve the very goals they had set for themselves.

The Florida Democrat, known for his cutting sarcasm, opened his seveeral-minute monologue by likening the federal government under Trump and GOP control to Newark Airport—plagued for months by air traffic control meltdowns. He also mocked the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), saying no efficiencies have been created and they should “rebrand,” by dropping the “E.” Moskowitz himself rebranded the Republicans’ budget bill, the so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill,” as the “Big, Bloated Abomination Bill.”

“Newark Airport—that is the key example for the American people,” Congressman Moskowitz declared. “You want to talk about how did we make government more efficient? We didn’t. We made government the Newark Airport.”

READ MORE: ‘Who’s Running the Show?’: Trump’s Disappearance From View Sparks Scrutiny

After more jokes, he noted that “certainly, we’ve not made FEMA more efficient. The administrator apparently doesn’t know there’s a hurricane season, wait until he finds out there’s five categories. We’re gonna blow his mind.”

“Nothing has been made more efficient by DOGE,” the Democrat continued. “No new technology in any of these departments, no lower costs—hasn’t happened, right? We promised to tackle the national deficit and debt. They haven’t done that. They’ve made it worse by the big, bloated abomination bill.”

Moskowitz summed up what he called “the wins for Congressional Republicans.”

“You ready? They’re gonna do a $9 billion rescission bill. Okay, they’re gonna get rid of Elmo, which, the American people were clamoring for, okay?” he snarked, referring to the popular “Sesame Street” character. “But they’re gonna add $2.4 trillion to the debt, $9 billion versus $2.4 trillion. And then they want us to cheer for them and give them a trophy like they’re a five year old at a soccer game. Everyone gets a trophy for their participation. Okay?”

Watch the videos below or at this link.

Moskowitz: “The Newark Airport — that’s the key example for the American people. You want to talk about how we made govt more efficient? We didn’t. We made govt the Newark Airport. By the way, now that the divorce is happening with Elon Musk, who is gonna get Big Balls? I’m… pic.twitter.com/BGapNukMOq

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 4, 2025

Moskowitz: “Nothing has been made more efficient. Here are the wins for congressional Republicans. You ready? They’re gonna do a $9b recession bill. They’re gonna get rid of Elmo, which the American people were clamoring for, but they’re gonna add $2.4t for the debt. And then… pic.twitter.com/i04FCDMDPV

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 4, 2025

READ MORE: ‘Vindictive Erasure’: Hegseth Ripped for Pride Month Order to Rename USNS Harvey Milk