Democrats are hoping they can use Republicans' support for their "big, beautiful, bill" that enacts President Donald Trump's policies to win back control of the House of Representatives in the 2026 midterms.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is seeking to get the budget bill passed by Memorial Day.
Democrats look to force numerous votes in committee, putting House Republicans on the record as supporting things like changes to Medicaid and food assistance, Politico said.
"They're writing the playbook for Democrats to take back the House in 2026," said House Majority PAC spokesperson Katarina Flicker to Politico.
Democrats are aiming to use the same strategy they used in the 2018 midterms when they attacked Republicans over their attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Politico reported.
"If House Republicans push ahead with their plan to gut Medicaid and rip healthcare away from millions of Americans just to fund another tax cut for their billionaire donors like Elon Musk, Democrats will fight them every step of the way — and we'll make it as painful as possible," Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., an Energy and Commerce member, said to Politico.
Targets for Democrats include vulnerable Republican incumbents like Rep. Tom Kean, R-N.J.; Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa; Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb.; and Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Colo.
While Republicans can pass the legislation if they vote on party lines, party leaders are concerned about various factions of the conference fighting for issues like expanding the state and federal tax deduction or opposing cuts to SNAP and Medicaid, Politico said.
Republicans hope extending the 2017 tax cuts will be popular with Americans and offset concerns over cuts to social spending programs, according to Politico. The bill also does not cut Social Security or Medicare.
"All national Democrats have are pathetic lies and fearmongering tactics to distract from their failures," said National Republican Campaign Committee spokesperson Mike Marinella. "Americans know they're full of crap."
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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