“It’s an all-out assault on the health care of the American people.”
In the summer of 2010 during the peak of the Tea Party fervor, just 35% had a favorable view of the health care legislation.
Health care became an issue in the 2018 midterm elections, this time helping Democrats win back control of the House.
The last time Democrats were viewed that negatively in Marist’s polling was 2018, the same year Democrats won the House.
So if Democrats want to win back the House, they are going to have to get their own house in order first.
Democrats believe that President Trump’s massive tax and spending bill is providing them with a message and an opening before the midterm elections in 2026.
Tens of millions of older and lower-income Americans are covered by Medicaid, which focuses on affordability and health insurance.
The bill was deemed “cruel” and “dangerous” by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries during his lengthy speech opposing it on Thursday. Like other Democrats, he concentrated on the nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts, which are intended to partially offset the thousands of dollars that Trump’s tax cut extension will cost.
“The biggest health care cut in American history is represented by this bill,” Jeffries stated. “The American people’s health care is being completely attacked. “..”.
In what could end up being his signature piece of legislation for his second term, Trump is launching his own messaging campaign.
“GROWTH IS THE ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL DEAL,” Trump posted on social media this week. “If it passes, America will experience an unprecedented economic renaissance. “..”.
One day before Independence Day, Trump hosted an event in Iowa on Thursday evening. The administration is referring to it as “America250,” and it marked the beginning of a year-long celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday that included fireworks. He pushed for the legislation as well.
Regarding the bill’s passage, Trump remarked, “The epic victory we achieved just hours ago can be no better birthday present for America.”.
Trump indicated that he was ready to campaign for the legislation, and since no Democrat supported it, he showed no reluctance to show his contempt for Democrats.
“I think we’ll use it in the campaign that’s coming up — the midterms, because we’ve got to beat them,” he said. “But all of the things that we’ve given and they wouldn’t vote, only because they hate Trump — however, I also hate them.”. Do you realize that? I do. I despise them. “.
Republicans are in a vulnerable position with regard to this bill.
According to polling, the bill is opposed by more people than it is supported. However, as the White House notes, policies like Medicaid’s work requirements receive greater support.
As usual, the framing of the argument will determine a lot of the politics.
Republicans face a challenge in this case, though, because it is difficult to argue against the idea that taxes would rise if the bill were not passed.
Saying, “Everyone is getting a tax cut!” is not exactly the same as that.
Many people will also be able to feel the effects of the Medicaid cuts. According to KFF, nearly seven out of ten people claim that they, a family member, or a close friend have been covered by programs.
Medicaid is also a very popular social safety net program. KFF found:.
Eighty-three percent of respondents think well of the program.
Eighty-two percent of respondents favor either a rise in Medicaid funding or no change.
Sixty-nine percent think the program is effective for the majority of low-income individuals it covers.
Sixty-six percent of people in states that haven’t expanded Medicaid coverage want to see their state do so.
According to 62% of respondents, Medicaid is primarily a government health insurance program rather than a welfare program. However, most Republicans claimed to view it as a welfare program.
There are also some widely held, but false, opinions regarding the program. Take this example.
Three-quarters of 2024 Trump voters and half of Democrats share the 62 percent opinion that the majority of working-age adults on Medicaid are unemployed.
Although it is untrue, nearly half of respondents thought that foreign nationals without permanent residency were covered by Medicaid. A comparable proportion of people also mistakenly think that immigrants who do not have permanent legal status are eligible for the program.
Republicans continue to claim that they are focusing on “waste, fraud, and abuse,” but the Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan staff organization that supports the legislative process with analysis, projects that over the next ten years, nearly 12 million people will lose their health insurance.
During the midterm elections, health care has been a prominent topic.
The Affordable Care Act infuriated conservatives, who helped Democrats lose the House and 63 seats in 2010. Just 35% of respondents were in favor of the health care legislation in the summer of 2010, when the Tea Party was at its most active.
However, the ACA gained popularity after former President Obama left office. Indeed, according to KFF’s tracking poll, opinions of the law changed from net-negative to net-positive in February 2017, the month following Obama’s departure, and have only gotten better since then.
It reached 66 percent, its highest favorability rating to date, last month.
In the 2018 midterm elections, the topic of health care came up, aiding Democrats in regaining control of the House. The late Arizona senator passed away eight years ago this month. In a dramatic, late-night Senate floor vote, John McCain rejected his fellow Republicans’ attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
That essentially put a stop to GOP efforts to repeal the law.
Democrats have their own issues, but they too hope to capitalize on Republicans’ unpopularity.
The most recent NPR/PBS News/Marist poll shows that Trump’s approval rating is only 43%. Trump’s approval rating on the economy is only 39%, which is lower than any rating he obtained during his first term.
The approval rating for congressional Republicans is only 35%.
The popularity of congressional Democrats is even lower, though. Merely 27% of respondents expressed satisfaction with the work being done by congressional Democrats.
In large part, Democrats are to blame. Among Democrats, just 44% expressed approval of congressional Democrats.
Compared to Republicans’ perception of their congressional counterparts, that is a staggering 30 points lower.
The last time Marist’s polling showed Democrats in such a negative light was in 2018, the year that Democrats took control of the House.
The issue is whether Democrats will unite before the midterm elections, as they did at the time, or if the discontent among Democrats is a sign of something more serious within the party and causes Republicans to maintain a slim hold on the chamber.
Democrats will therefore need to organize their own house before they can regain control of the House.
