Members of the House of Representatives’ Freedom Caucus wrote in an article that shrinking Medicaid will help save the U.S. from what they call a $20 trillion “debt crisis.”

Reps. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Andy Harris, R-Md., said in their piece printed by Fox News on Monday that reversing Medicaid’s expansion can prevent a “total financial crisis” caused by the addition of $20 trillion to the national debt. They said that would occur in 10 years.

“To prevent a total collapse of the U.S. dollar and give the American people the opportunities they deserve, lawmakers must reform Medicaid. To do anything less borders on malfeasance,” the congressmen wrote.

The national debt’s interest, which they claim will become the largest line item in the federal budget by 2051, is a contributing factor to the country’s “collision course” with a financial crisis, the lawmakers said. They said shrinking Medicaid’s “explosive expansion” can help the U.S. turn back from the program’s “unsustainable course.”

“Medicaid reforms are not the end of entitlement programs. They are a necessary step toward real solutions to address our nation’s debt crisis and secure the financial future of generations to come,” the article reads. “By making targeted reforms, lawmakers can execute President Trump’s mandate for change.”

As an example, the congressmen wrote, the U.S. can reimplement requirements for Medicaid recipients to work, as well as equalize the amount covered under the program across various locations. Both of these actions would save the country more than $591 billion, the lawmakers said.

The U.S. could also “normalize” the federal reimbursement rate for what the congressmen call the “expansion population,” a move they said would save nearly $600 billion.

Two weeks ago, the House passed a budget proposal that involved an $880 billion budget cut for the committee that oversees Medicaid. The GOP also recently introduced a bill to avoid a government shutdown, one Democratic leadership claimed exposes Americans to pain.

“The partisan House Republican funding bill recklessly cuts healthcare, nutritional assistance and $23 billion in veterans benefits,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., and House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., said in a joint statement. “Equally troublesome, the legislation does nothing to protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, while exposing the American people to further pain throughout this fiscal year.”

Have questions, concerns or tips? Send them to Ray at rjlewis@sbgtv.com.