Democrats Have The Weapon They Need To Win Back The House

Democrats are going to hammer Republicans on healthcare because it is an issue that they lead with voters of both parties on.

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The year was 2013. Selfie was the word of the year. FroYo was the food of the year. Taylor Swift co-hosted the Grammy nomination concert with LL Cool J. Iron Man was the top-grossing movie of the year, and NCIS was the most-watched TV show.

Also, in 2013, according to Gallup, 56% of Americans didn’t believe that healthcare is a government responsibility.

2013 was before the benefits of the Affordable Care Act had really kicked in, and people were still scared of the term Obamacare, and Republicans were continuing to rumble ominously about “government-run healthcare.”

In just five short years, Democrats would win back the House in part due to Donald Trump and the Republican Party trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

2015 was when the American public flipped on healthcare, and for the first time, most Americans believed that the government has a responsibility to provide healthcare. By 2018, 57% of Americans believed that government has a responsibility for healthcare.

Fast forward to 2025, Donald Trump is again in the White House, and Republicans are trying to gut the healthcare system.

This time, the Republicans are attempting to gut Medicaid and healthcare for veterans to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations.

The first procedural vote on the House reconciliation bill is scheduled for Tuesday evening. House Democrats are treating the vote as a chance to sink the bill, or at least make a serious dent in it, and force Republicans to start over again.

By 2024, 62% of Americans believe that government has a responsibility for healthcare. The margin has grown to a record high on this issue of 62%-36%.

As we will discuss below, House Republicans are tap dancing on a landmine by targeting Medicaid.

Medicaid Is Popular With Democrats And Republicans

If there is such a thing as a holy trinity of public policy, it is Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.