WASHINGTON—House Republicans are releasing their plan to cut Medicaid spending, with the program’s defenders in the GOP appearing to win the intraparty clash over how aggressively to change the system that provides health insurance to more than 70 million low-income and disabled people.

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham issued a stark warning that if Republicans in Congress and the Trump White House cut Medicaid, "People will die. Children will die." She is joined by other Democrats who are raising the alarm about the planned cuts.

A federal Medicaid work requirement could lead to as many as 5.2M adults aged 19 to 55 losing eligibility, according to the Urban Institute.