Republican agenda a 'risky gamble' as Dems plot 'full-court press' to defeat them

Countless Democrats are railing against President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill," which he signed into law over the 4th of July Weekend. And Democratic strategists are hoping that wildly unpopular parts of the megabill — including draconian cuts to Medicaid and SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and tax breaks for the ultra-rich — will give them an advantage in the 2026 midterms.

But according to NBC News reporters Sahil Kapur, Melanie Zanona and Julie Tsirkin, Republicans have megabill messaging of their own in mind and hope it will save them from a major blue wave in 2026.

"The war over President Donald Trump's megabill is just beginning, with both parties saying it will define the midterm elections next year, when control of Congress is up for grabs," the NBC News journalists report in an article published on July 7. "Republicans start on the back foot, with recent surveys showing the bill is unpopular, even with pro-Trump cohorts. Still, GOP leaders say they have a plan to turn things around and make the legislation Trump signed into law last week part of an offensive push to protect their House and Senate majorities."

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Kapur, Zanona and Tsirkin continue, "Meanwhile, Democrats are gearing up for a political onslaught aimed at unseating Republicans who voted for it. The House Democrats' campaign arm has already launched a digital ad buy on Meta across 35 GOP-held competitive districts slamming lawmakers for voting to harm rural hospitals. Part of Democrats' strategy is to highlight that many Republicans who threatened to vote down the bill because of steep Medicaid cuts ended up voting for it anyway."

Trump's megabill didn't receive any Democratic votes in either the U.S. Senate or the U.S. House of Representatives, but GOP lawmakers who voted against it were the exception rather than the rule. Only two House Republicans voted "no": Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania. And three GOP senators voted "no": Maine's Susan Collins, Kentucky's Rand Paul and North Carolina's Thom Tillis, but a tie-breaking vote from Vice President JD Vance saved it from defeat.

Justin Chermol, a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) spokesman, told NBC News, "The so-called moderate House Republicans have shamelessly lied for months — hiding behind meaningless letters and performative tweets — claiming they'd protect Medicaid, food assistance and energy jobs. But their vote is the only thing that matters, and they'll pay the price next year."

According to Kapur, Zanona and Tsirkin, Republicans plan to "campaign on individual pieces of the bill that poll well and ignore the provisions that are less popular" — which means highlighting "tax cuts on overtime and tips, child care subsidies and work requirements for able-bodied adults."

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"As Democrats mount a full-court press accusing Republicans of slashing Medicaid to pay for tax cuts for the rich," the reporters explain, "the GOP will try to shift focus to other provisions…. Still, it's a risky gamble, and many vulnerable Republicans are privately bracing for potential political blowback in their districts. The bill is projected to lead to 11.8 million fewer people having insurance by 2034, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

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Read the full NBC News article at this link.