On July 1, 2025, Josh Hawley cast a yes vote for the One Big Beautiful Bill, which passed the Senate 51–50 and includes hundreds of billions of dollars in Medicaid cuts. On July 15 he introduced S. 2279, the “Protect Medicaid and Rural Hospitals Act,” to reverse some of them.
What S. 2279 would do
The bill would repeal the law’s changes to how states can use Medicaid provider taxes and state-directed payments, the provisions the Missouri Hospital Association warned would cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars. It would also double the rural health fund from $50 billion to $100 billion.
What’s happened since
According to the official bill status data from the Government Publishing Office, the bill’s only actions are its introduction and its referral to the Senate Finance Committee, both on July 15, 2025. It lists zero cosponsors. Not one other senator, from either party, has signed on.
Why it matters
A senator who wanted these cuts undone had a simpler option: vote no. The bill passed by a single vote. Hawley’s yes made the cuts law; his repeal bill has done nothing since. About 1.25 million Missourians rely on Medicaid and CHIP, and rural hospitals depend on it.
For the full timeline, from his “morally wrong” op-ed to his vote, read how Josh Hawley voted to cut Medicaid.