Let's Do This: These Republicans Promised to Vote Against Trump's Megabill if the Senate Cut Medicaid Deeper than the House.

They voted to advance it anyway

Photo by Aleksandar Živković on Unsplash

On June 24, only nine days ago, 16 House Republicans wrote to Republican leadership stating that they would not vote for the Senate version of Trump's so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill” unless the additional cuts to Medicaid that the Senate added to the House version of the bill were removed. The following is a passage from a letter they all signed (emphasis mine):

The Senate version treats expansion and non-expansion states unfairly, fails to preserve existing state programs, and imposes stricter limits that do not give hospitals sufficient time to adjust to new budgetary constraints or to identify alternative funding sources.

We are also concerned about rushed implementation timelines, penalties for expansion states, changes to the community engagement requirements for adults with dependents, and cuts to emergency Medicaid funding. These changes would place additional burdens on hospitals already stretched thin by legal and moral obligations to provide care.

Protecting Medicaid is essential for the vulnerable constituents we were elected to represent. Therefore, we cannot support a final bill that threatens access to coverage or jeopardizes the stability of our hospitals and providers.

Well, the Senate kept all of those cuts in the bill. While it did add a fund to support rural hospitals, on net the Senate still cut an additional $130 billion from the program ($930 billion vs $800 billion in the House version) over the next 10 years.

So, what did these 16 Republicans do when the moment of decision arrived, and the House voted on the megabill this morning? All 16 of them voted for it, caving to Trump and Republican leaders instead of keeping their word.

There needs to be severe political blowback for what these mostly swing district Republicans just did, or else there will be further deep cuts to the safety net in the future.

I found Democratic nominee funds on ActBlue for five congressional districts represented by Republicans who signed the above letter that meet the following criteria:

• The member of Congress who signed the letter is running for re-election in 2026; and

• President Biden carried the district in the 2020 election.

These five districts are Arizona's 6th, California's 22nd and 40th, New York's 17th, and Virginia's 2nd, currently represented by Republican Reps. Juan Ciscomani, David Valadao, Young Kim, Mike Lawler, and Jen Kiggans, respectively. All five are trying to win re-election in seats that Democrats have demonstrated the ability to win in a good year.

Today, I am asking you to make a donation to the Democratic nominee funds in all five districts, and also to Bowers News Media PAC, the activism arm of Wolves and Sheep, to let these Republicans know there will be a huge cost for their broken promise. Anything you donate to the nominee funds will be held in escrow and transferred to the Democratic nominee after the primary in their district is over next year.

Please, split a $20 contribution to the Democratic nominee funds in five Republican-held, winnable districts for Democrats where the current member of Congress promised to vote against the steep Medicaid cuts in the Senate bill. They all deserve to lose their seats for failing to keep their word.