Overview

• On July 3, the House approved the One Big Beautiful Bill Act despite a Fox News poll showing 59% of Americans disapprove of the legislation’s combination of spending reforms and deep Medicaid cuts
• The nonpartisan CBO estimates the bill will slash over $1 trillion from Medicaid funding and could strip coverage from nearly 12 million people over the next decade
• Karl Rove told Fox News that President Trump must personally lead efforts to explain how the law serves vulnerable populations and justify its policy changes
• Rove urged Republicans to go on the offensive by framing Medicaid cuts as targeting able-bodied nonworkers, while promising more than they deliver to rebuild public trust
• The GOP’s new messaging push is designed to shift from defensive reactions to proactive narrative control in order to shore up Republican prospects for the 2026 midterm elections