Democrats have identified four vulnerable Republican House lawmakers to pressure in their campaign against the GOP’s much-anticipated reconciliation bill.
The Democratic National Committee and the official campaign arm for House Democrats are planning a paid media and town hall blitz targeting Reps. Tom Barrett of Michigan, Don Bacon of Nebraska, Mike Lawler of New York and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania this month as part of their efforts to block major spending cuts. All four Republicans represent districts on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s list of “districts in play” for 2026.
Democrats have dubbed the month of action the “Fight to Save Medicaid.” The message: “A deeply unpopular vote against Medicaid cuts this month will cost you your seat come the midterms,” according to the DNC’s announcement of the campaign shared with NOTUS.
The GOP has been grappling with how to reduce the deficit by the levels outlined in its budget resolution while extending the 2017 tax cuts and funding Trump’s agenda. Several moderate Republicans, including Bacon, Lawler and Fitzpatrick, have expressed concerns about the cuts coming from critical social safety net programs.
The budget resolution instructs the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to find at least $880 billion in cuts — a figure it cannot reach without cutting Medicaid. Republicans have proposed adding work requirements and placing a cap on federal Medicaid funds to states, among other ideas.
The issue is poised for continued headwinds in Congress. Republicans delayed the Energy and Commerce markup on Thursday for a week after falling short of reaching agreements on how to deal with Medicaid.
In such a slim majority, Speaker Mike Johnson will not be able to afford many defections when it comes time to put President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill” up for a vote. If Democrats can successfully convince four Republicans to vote against it, Johnson is unlikely to have the votes necessary to pass the bill.
Democrats’ plans to target these four vulnerable House Republicans is the continuation of the organizers’ joint actions throughout the last two months, which included a series of town halls around the country, in and out of GOP-held districts.
“House Republicans have lost the trust of the American people and are on track to lose in the midterms because of their record of broken promises,” DCCC chair Suzan DelBene said in a statement. “They’ve consistently sold out their own constituents to please their billionaire backers, even when it means supporting catastrophic cuts to health care access.”
As part of their pressure campaign, Democrats will encourage voters to share media content and call and email their representatives “to make their outrage known,” organizers say. There will also be local visibility efforts, including more town halls in these members’ districts.
“Vulnerable Republican Representatives Barrett, Bacon, Lawler, and Fitzpatrick will seal their political fate if they go along with Trump’s disastrous budget,” DNC chair Ken Martin said in a statement. “Our representatives must serve the people — not ignore them. Republicans will either learn that lesson now or at the ballot box.”
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Calen Razor is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.