Ohio man charged with threatening to kill a member of Congress over Medicaid cuts

Federal authorities this week arrested and charged an Ohio man in connection with threats to kill a member of Congress if the lawmaker voted to cut Medicaid.

The suspect, whom the FBI identified as Jeffrey Dorsey, 60, of Dayton, left a nearly 90-second expletive-laden voicemail on the main line of the lawmaker’s Washington, D.C., office last month, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court Tuesday. Court documents did not name the lawmaker.

“If you vote to take my f—— Medicaid away, I’m gonna cut your f—— head off,” the caller said, according to a transcript of a message from the FBI.

“You’re an embarrassment, and a bag of s— as a man, and I can’t stand you,” the caller is alleged to have added. “So, f— the hell off. But I tell you this, clearly to your brain, if you f— with my Medicaid you’re a dead f—.”

President Donald Trump on July 4 signed into law a sweeping GOP domestic policy bill that includes deep cuts to Medicaid. The Senate passed the measure July 1, followed by the House on July 3.

The FBI said the threatening call was made June 29.

A staffer for the unnamed lawmaker provided an audio copy of the call to U.S. Capitol Police, according to the FBI, and authorities traced the phone to Dorsey after they obtained subscriber information from the phone’s service provider, it said.

The FBI said that it called the phone associated with the threatening message this week and that the voice of the person who answered resembled the voice in the voicemail message left with the lawmaker’s office.

Dorsey is in custody as he awaits a detention hearing Friday. He is charged with interstate communications with a threat to injure.

Court documents did not list any attorney information.

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Information provided by the Ohio attorney general’s office revealed that Dorsey was receiving Medicaid services through various providers, according to the FBI.

Vice President JD Vance was in Ohio, his home state, on Monday for an event in Canton promoting Trump’s domestic policy bill. Many Democratic lawmakers have said they are worried about how the Medicaid cuts will affect their constituents, and they plan to highlight them when they talk to voters.

U.S. Capitol Police said in February that the number of threat assessment cases grew for a second consecutive year last year, with investigations into 9,474 concerning statements and direct threats against members of Congress, their families and staff members, up from 8,008 in 2023.