Representative Neal Dunn (R-FL) spearheaded a recent letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., urging him to revoke a Biden-Harris Administration regulation unfairly targeting Florida.
Rep. Dunn explained that the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) introduced a new supplemental payment program for Florida.
However, as The Floridian covered in January 2024, the Florida program, along with those of Texas and Missouri, was quickly audited for supposed "improper use of Medicaid dollars." California, which has a similar program, was not subject to the same audit.
Notably, the auditing scrutiny began shortly after Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) announced his run for President in the 2024 Election, which Government Accountability and Oversight (GAO) attorney Chris Horner said "just screams weaponization" in comments to the National Review.
"CMS targeted Florida at the same time Governor DeSantis's candidacy to be the Republican presidential nominee was ascendant, and the media was reporting that 'the prospect of facing upstart Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is prompting whispers of angst within Democratic circles," Horner added.
While Rep. Dunn did not mention the specific angle of Gov. DeSantis's Presidential run, he did emphasize the politicized nature of the audit in his letter, saying, "For the last three years, CMS has subjected Florida to undue scrutiny and hardship despite having previously approved the state's supplemental payment program to assist Medicaid providers."
"This effort would force Biden-era policies into the language of the waiver and are inconsistent with President Trump's conservative agenda. I respectfully urge Secretary Kennedy to intervene by revoking this Biden-era guidance in the waiver and end the targeting the state of Florida," Dunn concluded.
The Florida Congressman's letter follows his colleagues Representative Byron Donalds' (R-FL) new legislation to abolish the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which was similarly accused of being a political weapon targeting conservatives, and Representative Kat Cammack's (R-FL) bill to defund National Public Radio (NPR) for one-sided coverage despite being government-funded.
