Some in the GOP, including the president, oppose slashing Medicaid. But with cuts to Social Security and Medicare already ruled out, some argue that cuts to Medicaid may be necessary, given the spending cuts and tax cuts in the budget proposal passed by the House last week.

Republicans have proposed trillions of dollars in tax cuts that are all but impossible to make permanent with the party's slim majorities in the House and Senate. So now, Senate Republicans may use what one budget expert calls "weird accounting" tricks to push through cuts that are controversial even to some in their own party,

Republicans have pledged to implement deep budget cuts while maintaining they will not reduce Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid.