Illinois Republican: Congress will vote on DOGE cuts
Illinois lawmakers share thoughts ahead of Trump's address to Congress
FOX 32's political expert Paris Schutz spoke with both Rep. Darin LaHood and Senator Tammy Duckworth ahead of President Donald Trump's address to a joint session of Congress.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Peoria Republican Congressman Darrin LaHood, a staunch Trump supporter, is signaling a break with Elon Musk and 'DOGE.’
A ‘scalpel approach’
What they're saying:
LaHood told Fox 32 Chicago that he doesn’t necessarily agree with the slash-and-burn approach the Elon Musk-led committee has taken.
"I think taking a scalpel approach and not a sledgehammer approach is the way to do it," LaHood said in an interview from the Capitol, hours before President Trump’s address before a joint session of Congress.
RELATED: How to watch Trump's speech to Congress
LaHood says many of the stated DOGE cuts might not happen after all, if Congress has its say.
"All of those changes need to go through Congress. They can’t be changed, they can be recommended," LaHood said.
Democrats have sounded the alarm over potential cuts to Medicaid – the government-run healthcare for low-income residents. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has warned that cuts could mean one million Illinoisans using healthcare.
LaHood said the federal government should take a cautious approach.
"Again, I say you take a scalpel approach and not a sledgehammer approach," LaHood said.
But he says that the federal government should look at moving beneficiaries off of Medicaid by improving their job prospects.
"Able-bodied working Americans, if theres a way to get them off Medicaid and into a good-paying job, we should do that," he said. "I call those revisions and not cuts."
‘He’s made things worse'
The other side:
On the other end of the political spectrum, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) said she's planning on attending Trump's speech, unlike other Democrats who are boycotting the address.
RELATED: Illinois lawmaker to boycott Trump's joint address, calls it ‘MAGA love fest’
While Trump's allies say he'll try to tout his accomplishments during his first weeks in office, Duckworth said she doesn't think the president can make the case that he's made things better for the American people.
"In fact, he's made things worse," she said. "The Dow [Jones] has dropped significantly. The prices of everyday products is much higher, eggs, milk, everything is much higher than it was before he took office. He's not made life better for the American people."