Democrats weaponize Big Beautiful Bill

News Democrats weaponize Big Beautiful Bill Comments: by Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi - 07/08/26 7:53 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi - 07/08/26 7:53 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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The Big Story

Democrats weaponize Big Beautiful Bill

Democrats in some of the most competitive races are looking to make Republicans’ “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” an albatross to hang on vulnerable incumbents.

A year after Republicans muscled the massive reconciliation bill to Trump’s desk, Democratic candidates in the most competitive Senate races are blasting their Republican opponents over their support for the tax cuts package, The Hill’s Helen Huiskes reports.

The legislation cuts more than $1 trillion from Medicaid and more than $180 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Vulnerable Republicans warned of the political consequences of those cuts as the bill was being debated but eventually voted for it anyway.

A year later, national Democrats and candidates in the key swing races are making sure voters know how many people in their states have lost SNAP benefits since enactment, which hospitals and clinics have closed, and how the Republican on the ballot is complicit in all of it.

Republicans hailed H.R. 1 as the biggest legislative achievement of President Trump’s first year. But GOP lawmakers almost immediately struggled to sell the bill to voters and ended up rebranding it as the Working Families Tax Cut Act.

Republicans still insist the tax cuts for higher-wage earners and corporations in the package are going to be a central facet of their midterm messaging, but Democrats are digging in with ads and campaign trail messages with a few months to go before Election Day.

Welcome to The Hill’s Healthcare newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.

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Around the Nation

Local and state headlines on healthcare:

Oregon eyes $421 million in Medicaid cuts, including fewer benefits and limits on treatments (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Ohio gut illness cases near 200, state health department warns (The Columbus Dispatch)
Mass General Brigham, nurses called to talk at State House amid biggest nursing strike in Mass. (Boston Globe)

What We’re Reading

Health news we’ve flagged from other outlets:

Patients face a thicket of red tape trying to maintain consistent health coverage (KFF Health News)
Trump administration pursues more durable changes to science policy after setbacks in court (Stat)
Almost $1 billion later, the US still can’t make a medical glove (Bloomberg)

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