Hoping to derail President Donald Trump’s budget bill, the national Democratic Party launched a “Fight to Save Medicaid” campaign, targeting Republicans it thinks are vulnerable, including Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick (R-Bucks), the only Republican member of Congress in the Delaware Valley, is one of the named targets.
Democrats plan to hold “People’s Town Halls” and mobilize constituents to urge Congress members to vote against the House budget bill and tell them, “A deeply unpopular vote against Medicaid cuts this month will cost you your seat come the midterms.”
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chair Suzan DelBene said, “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. They’ve consistently sold out their own constituents to please their billionaire backers, even when it means supporting catastrophic cuts to health care access.”
However, Republicans are fighting back.
In March, they forced Democrats to take down Medicaid billboards targeting Congress members, including Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Lehigh), threatening lawsuits for defamation against the DNC.
“All national Democrats have are pathetic lies and fear-mongering tactics to distract from their failures. They were already forced to take down their dishonest Medicaid ads across the country because Americans know they’re full of crap, and voters aren’t going to buy their latest publicity stunt,” said National Republican Congressional Committee Spokesman Mike Marinella.
Longtime Pennsylvania Republican strategist Charlie Gerow, CEO of Quantum Communications, said, “The Democrats once again resort to classic ‘straw man’ demagoguery.”
“There’s no plan to ‘gut health care,’ and they know it,” said Gerow. “There are not trillions for billionaires (most of whom are Democrats) and they know it. This is the oldest page in their playbook. They need to go back to the drawing board.”
Guy Ciarrocchi, a Republican commentator who ran for Congress in Chester County, said, “Sadly, voters can count on D.C. Democrats to do two things. First, oppose every single policy that Trump supports. They want us to believe that the border was fine and that—apparently—there’s not one dollar of waste, fraud or abuse of our tax dollars. And, they still think they can lie to us about Brian Fitzpatrick, and we‘ll buy it. It’s embarrassing.”
In Philadelphia in 2023, 31.3 percent were on Medicaid; 15.4 percent in Montgomery County; 20.7 percent in Delaware County; 15.3 percent in Chester County, and 16.1 percent in Bucks County, according to Georgetown University.
Changes that Republicans are mulling include a requirement that able-bodied recipients work at least part-time or go to school. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll released in March found 62 percent of Americans support a work requirement, including 47 percent of Democrats, 60 percent of independents, and 82 percent of Republicans.
Fitzpatrick did not respond to a request to comment.
Previously, he told Phillyburbs, “As deliberations move forward, I remain firmly committed to protecting the benefits that our seniors, individuals with disabilities, and most vulnerable neighbors rely on through Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security,” Fitzpatrick said. “We can — and must — achieve meaningful positive reform to ensure the long-term sustainability of these essential programs, without compromising the integrity of these essential programs.”
Fitzpatrick has won recent elections handily. However, Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie, a former Falls Township supervisor, has already thrown his hat in the ring for 2026 and may give the popular GOP incumbent a run for his money.
Facing headwinds over Medicaid and other topics, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and other GOP leaders have paused the budget bill for more discussion, Politico reported Friday.
