As lawmakers battle over the funding bill with a government shutdown looming, Meghan Hays, a former special assistant to President Joe Biden and director of message planning in the White House (2021-2022), is publicly shaming elected Republicans for refusing Democrats’ amendment to the bill which would extend healthcare subsidies for the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare).
On CNN, Hays said: “The Republicans are playing with fire when they choose not to extend the healthcare subsidies we are all enjoying now. Healthcare is already too expensive and now Republicans are going to allow prices to skyrocket. Shame.”
The Republicans are playing with fire when they choose not to extend the healthcare subsidies we are all enjoying now. Healthcare is already too expensive and now Republicans are going to allow prices to skyrocket. Shame. pic.twitter.com/EAEZlZrY9A
— Meghan Hays (@meghan_hays9) September 29, 2025
Tacitly noting that some Republicans are aware that playing with this particular fire is politically dangerous, Hays backed up her claim by amplifying the NBC News article titled ‘Republicans are split on extending Obamacare tax breaks as higher costs loom.’
The article sources a memo co-authored by Trump’s longtime pollster Tony Fabrizio, who was named “2025 Republican Pollster of the Year” and has been lauded as being “a key force behind Trump’s 2024 victory, delivering razor-sharp data and strategy as Chief Pollster” of Trump’s 2024 campaign.
Congratulations to President Trump’s pollster, @TonyFabrizioGOP, for receiving the American Association of Political Consultants’ prestigious ‘Pollster of the Year’ award. pic.twitter.com/nMXBU9WeFG
— MAGA War Room (@MAGAIncWarRoom) May 23, 2025
The memo warns that extending the health care tax credits is broadly popular on both sides of the aisle, even with “solid majorities of Trump voters and Swing voters.”
Fabrizio’s view also indicates that the GOP will pay a “political penalty” in the competitive districts in the 2026 midterm elections if the funding expires on schedule.
According to the memo, Republicans could “completely change the political dynamic” in the midterm elections if they agree to extend the premium tax credits.
“Unlike recent changes to Medicaid which do not go into effect until after the midterm elections,” the pollster warned, “voters on the individual insurance marketplace, who voted for Trump by 4-points, will begin getting notices of significant premium hikes this fall.
“The incentive is to act on extending the tax credit soon. Republicans can position themselves ahead of Democrats in these districts by extending the premium tax credit and using the individual market as a landing spot for working-age adults on Medicaid. The Republican candidate that supports that policy would lead the Democrat on the generic ballot by 6-points overall, and among those most motivated to vote by 4-points, completely changing the political dynamic to the Republican’s favor.”
Below is Fabrizio’s partner, Bob Ward of Fabrizio + Ward, discussing surveys of Republicans, swing voters and Democrats which reveal that across the board, “there is no appetite to cut Medicaid to pay for tax cuts.”
All voter constituencies support protecting health care coverage, and extending enhanced tax credits to keep coverage affordable.
"There is no appetite to cut Medicaid to pay for tax cuts." – Republicans, swing voters, and Democrats — support protecting health care coverage. That means no cuts to #Medicaid & extending enhanced tax credits to keep coverage affordable.@chipkahn & Bob Ward break it all down… pic.twitter.com/167efH6Rf4
— Federation of American Hospitals (@FAHhospitals) May 2, 2025
