House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said the GOP will "eliminate" fraud in Medicaid by removing able-bodied people who refuse to work.

Democrats, struggling to regroup after their devastating losses in the fall, have accused Republicans of targeting programs for the poor like Medicaid in order to pay for President Trump's ambitious agenda.

GOP leader on Medicaid plans

The House GOP's newly adopted budget plan calls for the House Energy and Commerce Committee to find $880 billion in savings.

Democrats claim it is not a feasible goal without meaningful impacts on Medicaid, but Republicans have said they could achieve their goal with targeted reforms to the program.

Johnson told Fox News Sunday that Republicans are not going after benefits, but they will make Medicaid requirements stricter to limit fraud and abuse.

“The president has made absolutely clear many times, as we have as well, that we’re going to protect Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid, for people who are legally beneficiaries of those programs,” Johnson Sunday Morning Futures.

“There are a lot of Americans who rely upon those — those programs, and we’ve got to ensure that they’re safeguarded,” he said.

Safety net enters spotlight

President Trump has pledged not to cut popular programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, which account for a huge share of federal spending but are considered politically untouchable because of their crucial role in the social safety net.

Johnson said Republicans will eliminate "fraud" by enforcing work requirements.

“At the same time, we have to root out fraud, waste and abuse, we have to eliminate on, for example, on Medicaid who are not actually eligible to be there. Able-bodied workers, for example, young men, who are — who should never be on the program at all,” Johnson added.

Republicans are aiming to pass Trump's agenda in one "big, beautiful bill" using a unliteral mechanism called budget reconciliation, but House and Senate Republicans disagree on how much spending to cut.

The House GOP's budget plan - which is a policy outline or blueprint, and not an actual bill - calls for $1.5 trillion in spending cuts.

President Trump has suggested raising taxes on the wealthy to help pay for his agenda, bucking GOP orthodoxy on taxation. But Johnson said he's not a fan of the idea.

“I’m not a big fan of doing that,” Johnson said. “We’re the Republican Party and we’re for tax reduction for everyone. So, I mean, that’s a general principle that we always try to abide by.”