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One of the advantages of the Republican decision to delay Medicaid cuts until after the 2028 election is that there is time for situations to change. One of the biggest changes that could be on the horizon is Democrats taking control of all or part of Congress in the 2026 midterm election.
The Medicaid cuts have proven to be so unpopular that Democrats think that they can be easily repealed.
Congressional Democrats are already plotting how to reverse Republicans’ just-passed Medicaid cuts if they take the House or Senate majorities in 2026.
And they’re notably confident that they’ll get the GOP votes they need to do it.
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“There’s a very realistic prospect that the votes to cut Medicaid will prove to be some of the least popular votes in congressional history, and that it might be actually quite easy to effectuate the repeal, once people see and understand what these crazy people did,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I. told Semafor, adding in a joking faux-Republican voice: “‘Get me out of here! Get me out of here!‘”
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Some Republicans are already indicating they’re open to an intervention. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., has said repeatedly he hopes to ensure “there are no Medicaid cuts that take effect.”
At least on the Senate side, it is looking like many Republicans view the cuts as a budgetary gimmick that was meant to make the tax cuts bill look better on paper. Several Senate Republicans have been quoted as willing to delay indefinitely or scrap the cuts.
None of this can happen unless Democrats get control of the House, which is where the most extreme Medicaid cutters currently occupy the majority.
If Democrats get the House majority, they can immediately use budget deadlines to demand a repeal of the Medicaid cuts. Trump is trapped in his own delusion that Medicaid isn’t being cut, and there are enough Senators to kill the cuts without a Democratic majority in the Senate to make them happen.
All that is needed is for Democrats to have some power and a seat at the table to demand the cuts.
Republicans have made it clear that they don’t want the cuts to Medicaid through the delay in implementation.
Democrats are much better at governing than Republicans, and right now, Democrats see an opening and are laying the groundwork to make Medicaid cuts disappear, but in order to do so, they need your votes in 2026.
What do you think about Democrats planning to repeal the Medicaid cuts?
