Tallahassee Sun

Congressman Neal Dunn, representing Florida's 2nd district, has taken a stand against the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) by leading a letter with fellow Florida Republicans. The letter is addressed to Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy Jr., urging him to prevent the imposition of Biden-era regulatory standards on Florida in relation to a Medicaid Section 1115 waiver.

In 2022, CMS approved a supplemental payment program for Florida but soon initiated an audit into its financing. Congressman Dunn highlighted that while Florida faced scrutiny, similar programs in Democrat-led states like California did not receive such oversight. He stated, "This latest action by CMS is part of a larger, troubling saga of CMS playing games with my home state while leaving similar programs in Democrat-led states untouched."

Dunn criticized CMS for what he perceives as undue scrutiny over the past three years despite prior approval of Florida's supplemental payment program aimed at assisting Medicaid providers. He urged Secretary Kennedy to revoke the guidance associated with Biden-era policies within the waiver language.

Both Texas and Florida have responded to CMS's actions by filing lawsuits challenging the agency's financing scrutiny. A federal court sided with Texas, preventing CMS from enforcing new interpretations that deviated from statutory text. Although CMS initially backed down after these legal challenges, it renewed its focus on Florida shortly after President Trump's election.

Joining Congressman Dunn in this effort are several other Republican representatives from Florida: Kat Cammack (FL-03), Aaron Bean (FL-04), John Rutherford (FL-05), Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Laurel Lee (FL-15), Vern Buchanan (FL-16), Greg Steube (FL-17), Byron Donalds (FL-19), Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-26), Maria Salazar (FL-27), and Carlos Gimenez (FL-28).