House Democrats are planning to turn Republicans’ late-night marathon reconciliation markups into campaign-ad fodder.
There are roughly 10 vulnerable Republican members who sit on three committees that finalized their pieces of the reconciliation package. They were asked to vote on a slew of Democratic amendments, including some designed to be politically toxic.
The Democratic targets on these panels include Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), Gabe Evans (R-Colo.) and Tom Kean Jr. (R-N.J.) on the Energy and Commerce Committee; Reps. Zach Nunn (R-Iowa), Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) and Rob Bresnahan (R-Pa.) on the Agriculture Committee; and Reps. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) on the Ways and Means Committee.
None of these amendments passed — and almost no one expected them to — but they are certainly still fair game for 30-second TV ads next fall. For Democrats, they offer a different set of attack lines from the actual reconciliation bill that passed the House last week.
Of course, these potential ads only apply to the Republican members of these respective committees. But remember, Democrats need to net only a few seats to flip the House.
Here is a breakdown of what Democrats believe to be some of the most potent votes, per our conversations with party strategists and aides:
– The hit: Republicans defunded Planned Parenthood and refused to help pregnant women keep their health care. GOP members defeated an amendment from Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) that would require Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program to offer a year of full benefits to people who are pregnant.
Another amendment from Rep. Lizzie Pannill Fletcher (D-Texas) would strike a section from the bill that defunds entities providing family planning services.
Kean and Evans voted against Kelly’s amendment. Miller-Meeks skipped the vote. Both Miller-Meeks and Evans skipped the vote on Fletcher’s amendment, while Kean voted against it.
“It makes no sense,” Kelly told us. “It does save lives.”
– The hit: Republicans refused to cap insulin costs at $35 a month. Rep. Kim Schrier (D-Wash.), a doctor and Type 1 diabetic, introduced an amendment requiring such a cap on out-of-pocket costs for private insurance plans. More than 38 million people have diabetes in the U.S.
Kean voted against this. Miller-Meeks and Evans skipped the vote.
– The hit: Republicans refused to protect veterans and Gold Star families from cuts to food aid programs. An amendment from Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.) would ensure that no veterans or family members of those who died in the line of duty lose access to SNAP.
Nunn, Van Orden, Bacon and Bresnahan voted against this.
– The hit: Republicans refused to block President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.), on Energy and Commerce, and Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.), on Ways and Means, introduced similar amendments that would move toward terminating the tariffs.
Miller-Meeks and Evans voted against this in the Energy and Commerce markup, while Kean skipped the vote. In the Ways and Means markup, Schweikert and Fitzpatrick also voted no.
Of course, Republicans have their own reasons for voting against these amendments and dismissing the Democratic attempts as performative.
“While they twiddle their thumbs trying to figure out messaging, Congressman Gabe Evans is delivering for working families to make Colorado a place where the American Dream is a reality,” said Delanie Bomar, an Evans spokesperson.
