SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
unrig our economy
Ad Campaign Targets Vulnerable Republican Who Broke Promise Not to Cut Medicaid
Northeastern Pennsylvania Congressman Rob Bresnahan is one of many Republicans in swing states who are taking heat after ripping away Medicaid coverage from their constituents.
Jul 08, 2025
A new ad campaign is targeting a vulnerable first-term Republican congressman in a Northeastern Pennsylvania swing district after he broke his promise not to vote for Medicaid cuts.
Rep. Rob Bresnahan Jr. (R-Pa.) joined the rest of his party last week to vote for the Republican budget megabill, which cut over $1 trillion from the safety net program over the next decade.
As editorial board of The Times-Tribune in Scranton wrote, Bresnahan's vote went against his "repeated promises" to protect safety net programs, including a pledge he made in February that "if a bill is put in front of me that guts the benefits my neighbors rely on, I will not vote for it."
Bresnahan did ultimately vote for the bill, which may now result in nearly a half-million of his "neighbors" in the state of Pennsylvania losing coverage, according to a study published last week by the Joint Congressional Economic Committee. More than 200,000 people in Bresnahan's district—over a quarter—are Medicaid recipients.
In a new ad released Monday by the progressive group Unrig Our Economy, one of those neighbors comes back to haunt him.
"I sat in a meeting with Congressman Bresnahan," says a Scranton woman named Krysten. "We discussed some issues that I deal with myself."
The ad notes that Krysten had an ankle injury that required "six surgeries," "rehabilitation," an "ankle brace," and "medication."
"I had explained how important Medicaid is with him sitting straight across from me," Krysten says. "He stated to me that he would not make cuts to Medicaid."
"Afterwards, when the votes were done," she continues, "when I found out how he voted, I was very upset to hear that Congressman Bresnahan voted for the largest cut to Medicaid in history to give tax breaks to billionaires. This doesn't make sense at all."
Bresnahan won his seat by just 1.6 points in 2024, knocking out Democratic incumbent Rep. Matt Cartwright. The Cook Political Report lists Bresnahan as one of the most vulnerable Republican incumbents in the country in the 2026 midterms.
"Congressman Bresnahan looked his own constituents in the eyes and promised to protect Medicaid, then turned around and voted to gut it so billionaires could get another tax break," said Kobie Christian, a spokesperson for Unrig Our Economy. "People like Krysten deserve healthcare and honesty, not cruel cuts and empty promises. Congressman Bresnahan should start fighting for his constituents, not the ultrarich."
Other Democratic-aligned groups are joining in the full-court press, hoping Bresnahan's betrayal of Medicaid recipients would be enough to sink his reelection chances.
In a post on X Tuesday, the House Majority PAC, which seeks to win the House majority back for Democrats, called out Bresnahan for selling his stock in the Centene Corporation, the largest Medicaid provider in the U.S., on May 15, just one week before the first version of the Republican bill passed the House. The value of the stock would tank throughout the month of June as cuts to Medicaid became increasingly inevitable.
"This congressman literally dumped stock in a Medicaid provider company right before this bill came to the floor," said Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.). "Don't be fooled—these guys know exactly what they're doing."
Bresnahan is one of many Republicans who may be in danger after voting to strip Medicaid from their constituents.
According to Newsweek, 64 GOP lawmakers represent districts where the Medicaid enrollment rate is higher than the national average. In addition to Bresnahan, four others—Nick Begich (R-Alaska), Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.), Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), and Jeff Hurd (R-Colo.) won their districts by five points or less and are particularly vulnerable.
The GOP bill is historically unpopular, with polls from Quinnipiac University, The Washington Post, Pew Research, and Fox News all showing roughly 2-to-1 opposition. Meanwhile, just 10% of Americans say they support cuts to Medicaid spending compared to nearly half who say the government should spend more money on the program, according to Quinnipiac.
According to reporting from Politico Sunday, Republicans are now in panic mode about how this vote could affect their chances.
"What we know from past elections is that messing with people's healthcare coverage is very problematic for politicians," said Republican pollster Whit Ayres. "It has, in the past, yielded some very, very negative views about the people who supported it."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Join the ‘Stop the Billionaire Giveaway’ Bus Tour to Fight the GOP’s Big Ugly Budget Bill
We’ve seen firsthand that once people learn what is in this harmful tax and budget bill, they strongly oppose it. When they turn out and demonstrate their opposition, or call or write their member of Congress, that makes a difference.
Jun 25, 2025
As the big, ugly GOP budget bill moves through Congress, advocates for a fair economy are hitting the road. Two organizations—Fair Share America and Unrig Our Economy—are bringing experts and stakeholders on a “Stop the Billionaire Giveaway” bus tour to publicize the high stakes in this budget debate. After a kick-off on June 21, the bus will travel to 14 states, from New York to California, to rally the public against a bill that would do more to increase inequality than any other single piece of legislation in U.S. history.
To learn more about the strategy behind the tour, we spoke to Kristen Crowell, executive director of Fair Share America, who plans to be on the bus for the whole 4,000 miles.
Inequality.org: This is a tough organizing environment, with Republicans in control of the Senate, the House, and the White House. How will you give people hope about the chances of influencing this budget debate?
We’ve seen firsthand that once people learn what is in this harmful tax and budget bill, they strongly oppose it. When they turn out and demonstrate their opposition, or call or write their member of Congress, that makes a difference.
Over 50% of people who voted for President Donald Trump a mere eight months ago are opposed to the tax and budget plans in this bill.
For each stop on our bus tour, we have worked with state and local partners to organize rallies, a roundtable, or a similar public event where people can speak out, share their stories, and take part in a growing national movement to oppose this bill and advocate for fair budgets that pay for the things we need and don’t give trillions of our tax dollars away to the billionaire class.
We can still stop this bill.
Inequality.org: Tell us more about the people you’ve already heard from in various states. What are they saying?
Over the past couple of months, I’ve had the privilege of speaking to thousands of people at town hall meetings, while knocking on doors, and while hosting tele-town hall meetings where over 200,000 people joined our lines to hear about what is happening in Washington.
People are angry and afraid about losing the lifelines they and their families depend on and they are mobilizing to make sure their voices of opposition are heard. In many communities, their own GOP member of Congress won’t meet with them, which is infuriating. This is one of the reasons Fair Share America has created public forums for people to show up, learn the truth, and speak out. That’s what we’re continuing to do this summer with the bus tour and beyond.
Inequality.org: We’ve seen the polling on both sides. Some of the tax provisions like “no taxes on tips” are pretty popular. How are you getting the message across that this bill would not benefit most Americans?
Public polling has been consistent. Nearly 80% of the public is opposed to this bill once they learn about what’s in it. We see this mirrored in our canvassing efforts as well. The opposition even crosses the political spectrum. Over 50% of people who voted for President Donald Trump a mere eight months ago are opposed to the tax and budget plans in this bill. While there may be support for some individual provisions, when presented with the whole package, voters understand that these giveaways are skewed to the ultra-wealthy and benefit working people very little.
States will either have to slash services or raise local taxes to make up the loss in federal funds.
There’s also a ton in this bill that working people would lose: When people realize that nearly 16 million people would lose healthcare coverage their opposition strengthens even further. It is crystal clear: The public largely does not support this budget and will not be bought off with small crumbs while the ultra-rich would have huge financial gains.
Inequality.org: Many states are finalizing their own budgets this month. How can states expect the reconciliation bill to impact their budgets?
The GOP reconciliation bill would shift massive costs onto states in several ways that would blow a hole in carefully crafted state budgets. It includes historic new cost-sharing rules that would force states to cover the costs for SNAP. It imposes costly and burdensome paperwork requirements on states and people for Medicaid, significantly reducing the federal funding for the key healthcare program.
In addition to the direct loss of federal funding to the states, the bill also blocks states from raising their own funds for essential programs, targeting provider taxes which fund Medicaid and undercutting the municipal bond market which funds local schools, hospitals, and infrastructure projects. In short, the GOP budget blows a hole in states’ budgets and ties their hands on key issues, just to fund $1.1 trillion in tax handouts to the rich.
States will either have to slash services or raise local taxes to make up the loss in federal funds. Many are already planning for special legislative sessions should this harmful GOP Budget pass.
Inequality.org: You’re planning to be on the bus for the full three weeks of the tour. What’s one tip you can share about how to keep up your energy over all those miles?
Over the past several months, being with and among the American public as Fair Share America and our local partners have held events around the country has been one of the greatest privileges of my organizing career (you can read more about Kristen’s organizing background here).
Hitting the road this summer and getting to be with people who are scared and hurting but doing something powerful together to make change keeps me going. Several of my children will also be joining me on the bus during this tour, and I want to show them a strong example of what it means to stand up for our values. I’ve been working in the tax justice space for a long time and look forward to seeing old friends and new allies along the route. It truly will be one of the greatest months of my life. My love of strong, black coffee doesn’t hurt!
Learn more and sign up for updates about the “Stop the Billionaire Giveaway” bus tour.
Keep ReadingShow Less
'He Chose Billionaires': New Ad Targets Vulnerable Republican Over Vote to Gut Medicaid
Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, alongside his GOP colleagues in Congress, is accused of "cutting Medicaid so he can give tax breaks to big corporations and billionaires."
Jun 03, 2025
Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, one of the House lawmakers most vulnerable to losing their seats in the 2026 midterms, was the target of a new ad that aired Tuesday as part of a nationwide campaign to draw public attention and outrage to the GOP plan to kick millions off Medicaid.
The ad—set to run on television, digital platforms, and streaming services in Nebraska—features a woman named Audrey, who says her step-daughter and three grandchildren are among the tens of millions of Americans who rely on Medicaid for health coverage.
"It's important that we continue to have Medicaid—it's lifesaving," Audrey says in the 30-second spot. "But Congressman Don Bacon doesn't act like it. He's actually cutting Medicaid so he can give tax breaks to big corporations and billionaires."
"Our grandkids rely on Medicaid," she continues. "It's important that they have that. Otherwise, they would not have access to healthcare, immunizations, and everything else. It's very important to us. It's not something you should take away to fund tax breaks for billionaires."
Watch:
Late last month, Bacon joined most of the House Republican caucus in voting to pass a 1,100-page budget reconciliation package that includes more than $700 billion in cuts to Medicaid over the next decade and work reporting requirements that analysts say would strip insurance from as many as 14 million people in communities nationwide.
Weeks before casting his vote in favor of the legislation, Bacon said he wouldn't accept more than $500 billion in Medicaid cuts.
Kobie Christian of the Unrig Our Economy coalition, which is behind the nationwide ad campaign, said Tuesday that "Nebraska families like Audrey's have been struggling to afford healthcare for years, and Congressman Bacon decided it was a good idea to vote for the largest cut to Medicaid in American history that will leave millions without the healthcare they need."
"Congressman Bacon didn't just vote to rip away healthcare from children and families," Christian added. "He voted to hand that money to millionaires and billionaires. Congressman Bacon had a choice—and he chose billionaires over working families like Audrey's."
"It's that simple: If they are a 'no' on Medicaid cuts, then they can't support any version of the current reconciliation bill that slashes healthcare for millions of Americans."
The Republican budget bill is currently before the GOP-controlled Senate, which is expected to make significant changes before sending the legislation back to the House for final passage.
But it's far from clear that Republican senators will weaken the measure's deeply unpopular assault on Medicaid.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who has voiced concerns about his colleagues' push for aggressive cuts to the program, wrote in a social media post on Monday that he had a "great talk" with President Donald Trump about the issue."
"He said again, NO MEDICAID BENEFIT CUTS," Hawley wrote.
But the Missouri senator has expressed support for Medicaid work requirements, which experts say are cruel and ineffective at achieving the GOP's stated goal of boosting employment among beneficiaries. Most Medicaid recipients already work, and the frequent reporting requirements included in the Republican legislation would, according to analysts, compromise health coverage for millions of people who are eligible for benefits.
"Let's see if Senator Hawley, President Trump, and the other Republican senators who've shunned Medicaid cuts practice what they preach," Tony Carrk, executive director of the progressive watchdog group Accountable.US, said in a statement Tuesday. "It's that simple: If they are a 'no' on Medicaid cuts, then they can't support any version of the current reconciliation bill that slashes healthcare for millions of Americans."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular