Fedorchak discusses rural health care, Medicaid, landowner rights, and education funding at fourth Fedorchak Forum

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Julie Fedorchak (R-ND) hosted her fourth statewide Fedorchak Forum Monday, offering North Dakotans a direct opportunity to engage with her on a variety of topics. Fedorchak recognized callers in the order their calls were received and answered questions on health care reforms in the One Big Beautiful Bill, protecting property rights, fiscal responsibility, education funding, and more.  

On Medicaid reforms in the One Big Beautiful Bill: 

Fedorchak expressed concerns about misinformation being spread about Medicaid changes, calling it “one of the most disappointing things” about the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill.  

She set the record straight that vulnerable populations will not lose access to their Medicaid benefits. “Disabled people, people with severe illnesses, senior citizens on fixed incomes or senior citizens who can't afford their nursing home coverage, single moms with dependent children who need help—that's the traditional Medicaid population, and they will not be impacted by the reforms we made,” she said. 

She pointed to two commonsense reforms included in the One Big Beautiful Bill: enforcing eligibility rules to stop improper payments, including to illegal immigrants, and requiring community engagement (also known as work requirements) for able-bodied adults between the ages of 19 and 64—20 hours a week of work, school, or volunteering. 

Fedorchak emphasized that the bill reins in unsustainable growth without cutting support for those the program was designed to serve. "The truth of the matter is, no matter how you cut it, we will spend more money tomorrow on Medicaid than we spend today. It's a decrease in the increase. It is not a cut overall in the amount of money being spent on Medicaid,” she added.  

On changes to Medicaid Provider Taxes: 

Fedorchak also addressed questions about the impact Medicaid reforms to the provider tax payment regime might have on rural hospitals. She clarified that North Dakota hospitals are not threatened by these reforms because our state doesn’t use a provider tax on hospitals or long-term care facilities to pay for the state’s share of Medicaid funding. “It doesn’t impact our hospitals, and it doesn’t impact our long-term care either,” she added. The provider tax is a loophole some states have exploited to dodge paying their share of Medicaid funding.  

She recognized North Dakota’s responsible approach to state funding of Medicaid and contrasted it with states like New York and California. “If all states followed the path that North Dakota has followed and the way we implemented the Medicaid program—and came forward with a state match in a fair and honest way—then I don't think we’d have the problems nationally in Medicaid that we're seeing. North Dakota is not the problem. Big states like New York, California, [and] others are the ones that are abusing the system and jeopardizing it. So that's why I think reforms were necessary, and the reforms that we passed are reasonable and smart,” she added.  

On rural health care funding:  

Fedorchak addressed concerns about how the One Big Beautiful Bill affects federal support for state Medicaid programs. She made clear that the bill makes no changes to the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP), the formula used to determine how much federal funding each state receives. 

She also noted that the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program—a new fund created to help states adjust to changes in their Medicaid Provider Tax rates over the next five years—will provide additional funding to help rural North Dakota hospitals.  

On the Landowner Easements Rights Act: 

Fedorchak heard concerns from a farmer who is losing access to farmable land due to Fish and Wildlife’s perpetual easements. She reiterated her commitment to advancing a bill she introduced with Rep. Hageman (R-WY) to help landowners reclaim control over Fish and Wildlife easements.  

The bill would allow landowners to buy back their easements at a fair market price and restrict future U.S. Fish and Wildlife easements to a maximum of 30 years. “We really think this is a landowner’s rights issue. You should have the ability to manage your own land,” she said.  

On the national debt and fiscal discipline: 

Fedorchak agreed with a caller’s concern over the federal government’s unsustainable debt and increasing interest payments.  She highlighted how tackling our nation’s growing fiscal challenges requires a multifaceted approach, and how the One Big Beautiful Bill delivers on all three fronts. The bill implements pro-growth tax cuts, generates revenue through investments, and enacts spending cuts through reforms to government programs.  

She cited a recent conversation with a constituent in Fargo, whose client is moving ahead with a $1 million capital improvement project because of the 100 percent immediate expensing for capital investments provision included in the One Big Beautiful Bill tax package. Fedorchak shared how these types of investments not only benefit the local economy but also have a large-scale impact, adding, "we have to generate more revenues to help stabilize our federal budget."  

Fedorchak also emphasized her support for returning to budgeting through the regular order process. She shared that the House Appropriations Committee is close to passing 10 of 12 appropriations bills. “Hopefully, over in the Senate, they'll be able to get those passed, and we'll get a more orderly budget process where we can consider each bill and look for ways to save money in each bill,” she added.  

On funding for education programs in North Dakota: 

Fedorchak shared the U.S. Department of Education released funds for 21st Century Community Learning Centers, which supports after-school programs in North Dakota. "I was very pleased to see that, and I believe that they will be reviewing and releasing the other funds as well, and hope that's done before school gets started. The goal of their review has been to better understand how those funds are being used and, as indicated by the first review, they released them after being satisfied that the funds are being used appropriately,” Fedorchak said. 

She also noted that she included Head Start funding in her appropriations requests. Fedorchak visited Head Start in Jamestown earlier this year, and was “really impressed with the staffing there, the interaction they have with the kids, and the approach that they have.” 

On the Department of Education and student loan caps: 

Fedorchak reiterated her support for the Trump administration’s decision to return education rights back to the states. "I think educators like you and the school boards that you work under should be the ones making the decisions for education in our state,” she said in response to a teacher’s concerns about what level of the government should be making education policy decisions.  

She also explained how setting reasonable caps on federal student loans is helping address the root cause of rising higher education costs: “The cap on the student loans was a way for the federal government to use the one tool that it has in higher education funding—which is student loans—to help encourage colleges to reduce their prices and to stop increasing the cost of tuition so rapidly over time. [...] And when you have a federal government that will give unlimited loans to students with no caps, that encourages that kind of growth and costs. So by setting maximum loan amounts, that has two effects: it decreases the total amount of debt that any student can bear and take on. [...] That cap will also then cause the universities to look at how much they can charge.”  

On AI regulation and the moratorium: 

Fedorchak addressed questions about a proposed federal moratorium on state-level AI regulations, clarifying that while the House included the provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill, the Senate ultimately removed it. 

She explained that the federal government’s lack of action to establish guidelines and parameters on the AI industry has led states to step in and fill the void. “There's become a patchwork of state regulations, which, when you're dealing with something like AI and technology that really doesn't recognize state borders—that becomes pretty problematic. It is an interstate commerce issue. This is regulation that does need to be developed and approved at the federal level,” Fedorchak said.  

Fedorchak also added that she sees an opportunity in the Senate’s decision to strike the moratorium provision. “I hope that the lack of a federal moratorium provides the urgency that we need to get those regulations done and in place,” she added. 

Fedorchak will continue hosting Fedorchak Forums to engage with North Dakotans on issues in Congress. The next event date will be announced soon. Sign up to participate here. 

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