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Thursday, October 8, 2026 · Updated 6:09 AM MT · 28 stories today
Thu, Oct 8 · 28 stories todayPRO
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Legal · TXOctober 8, 2026

Paxton Privately Urges Cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security

Leaked audio from a private conversation shows Texas GOP Senate nominee Ken Paxton calling for "reasonable cuts to mandatory spending," which includes Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, as a way to reduce the national deficit. The remarks, described as "we have to suck it up," have surfaced in pieces across multiple publications. No specific legislative proposal or mechanism was detailed in the leaked comments. Paxton is a candidate for U.S. Senate, not a sitting federal official, so the remarks carry no immediate policy effect but signal his position heading into a race that could shape future federal entitlement debates.

Why it mattersMedicaid stakeholders should note that a potential future senator is on record favoring mandatory-spending cuts, a signal relevant to advocacy and long-term federal funding risk even though no legislation has been introduced.

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Read the full article at feeds.texastribune.org →
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