On a 27–39 vote, the House last Thursday rejected House Joint Resolution 5002, a radical Republican attempt to get voters to repeal Medicaid expansion in South Dakota.
Don’t got thinking Republicans are suddenly in love with expanded Medicaid. A majority of them just figure they already have enough of a chance of getting South Dakota out of the helpful expansion via another measure, 2025 HJR 5001, they already put on the ballot:
While transitioning to expanded Medicaid has been a “long process” and a “forecasting nightmare,” said Rep. Chris Kassin, R-Vermillion, Medicaid expansion costs are about 6% of the overall Medicaid budget. Enrollment in the program has plateaued at about 30,000 South Dakotans, said Kassin, who is a member of the legislative budget committee.
Lawmakers already placed a constitutional amendment on November’s ballot that would let the Legislature repeal expanded Medicaid if the federal government stops funding at least 90% of the program. Kassin worried two questions about Medicaid on the ballot would confuse voters [Makenzie Huber, “South Dakota House Stops Proposal Asking Voters to Repeal Medicaid Expansion,” South Dakota Searchlight, 2026.01.29].
If voters approve 2025 HJR 5001, which will appear as Amendment I on the November ballot, then Republicans can just sit back and wait for Donald Trump to find a way to shut down Medicaid the way he’s shutting down the Kennedy Center.
I picked up the term “Republicants” from somewhere. Any time there is a program that keeps people healthy or helps them survive the bad economy the Repubcliants create, they always say, “Oh, we can’t find the money to do that.” They can find the money to subsidize the welfare millionaires that slip them some dollars , but no money for anyone who doesn’t offer them a campaign bribe.
It seems to me they should be finding a way to keep the program going, rather than whine if the feds under the Republicants slip below their 90 percent share. For one, they could use the feds. Other states are doing so, and winning against the illegality of the Trump Administration. But, no, the Republicants can’t seem to help showing how much they care about the right to life by making sure more people die under their warped sense of priorities.
Another way is divert federal funds allocated for other things, such as an unneeded water pipelines or roads. Another way is to use some of the multiple state slush funds to backfill the Medicaid program. But Republicants don’t fight for their constituents, unless they are welfare millionaires.