With 61 days until the November midterms, Vice President JD Vance pushed back on Thursday against Democratic claims that congressional Republicans are cutting healthcare, framing the election as a choice between what he called “crazy people” and “common-sense people.”
Vance made the remarks during a press availability in Washington, D.C., after appearing earlier in the day at an event launching a workforce initiative called The Foundry. Asked by a reporter for an elevator pitch on why voters should choose Republicans over Democrats, Vance said: “Do you want to live in a country that has safety and security and prosperity? If the answer is yes — and I think most Americans do — then vote for congressional Republicans over congressional Democrats. On every single issue, the Democrats have taken the side of fraudsters, of criminals, and of far-left interest groups over the side of the American people.”
He specifically addressed Medicaid and food-stamp fraud, saying, “On fraud, we are trying to take the money out of the hands of fraudsters so that people who rely on Medicaid or people who rely on food stamp benefits — they are able to get what they need because we have ensured that the American people’s tax dollars actually go where it’s supposed to go.”
“Democrats have fought for the fraudsters, Republicans have fought for the people who deserve these benefits, and the American taxpayers who are paying for those benefits,” Vance added.
On the midterms broadly, Vance said the contest isn’t simply a matchup of competing policy platforms. “The choice in this election is not between this set of policies that are good and this set of policies that are not so good,” he said. “The choice in the election really is between crazy people who are trying to rig the game and common-sense people who you may have disagreements with from time to time, but at least they’re rooted in common sense.” He accused Democrats of objecting to election rules that “don’t allow them to run roughshod over the American Constitution.”
Democratic group targets 11 House Republicans
Vance’s comments came the same week that Protect Our Care, a healthcare advocacy group led by Brad Woodhouse, released district-specific fact sheets aimed at defeating House Republicans who voted for roughly $1 trillion in healthcare spending cuts, most of it from Medicaid.
The group’s targets include Reps. Jeff Hurd (R-Colo.), Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), Zach Nunn (R-Iowa), Tom Kean Jr. (R-N.J.), Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.), Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), Ryan Mackenzie (R-Pa.), Rob Bresnahan (R-Pa.) and Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.).
As an example, Protect Our Care pointed to Pennsylvania’s 1st congressional district, where it says five healthcare facilities have announced cuts or closures, and where average premiums for recipients of Affordable Care Act tax credits have risen more than 200 percent.
“Each one of these Republican lawmakers had a choice, and they chose billionaires and big corporations over families, seniors, and hard-working people,” Woodhouse said in a statement.
Woodhouse added that “millions across the country are worried sick as they pay the price, losing their coverage, watching premiums skyrocket, and driving farther for care as hospitals and maternity wards close,” and said the fact sheets are meant to make sure “voters know exactly who is responsible for the health care crisis in their community.”
The dueling narratives — Vance’s framing of Medicaid enforcement as an anti-fraud measure and Protect Our Care’s framing of the same votes as coverage cuts — are likely to be a central fault line in House races across Colorado, Iowa, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin through Election Day.
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