Democrats are honing their attacks on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to accuse Republicans of taking health insurance away from enrollees in Medicaid and Obamacare.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), joined by Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) from the Senate Finance Committee, told reporters on Wednesday that Democrats are “ready to fight” against what he characterized as a Republican effort to decimate healthcare.

Recommended Stories

• Nearly 11 million uninsured under One Big Beautiful Bill Act, CBO says
• Trump IVF push alienates key members of pro-family coalition
• Here are the states that have or are considering physician-assisted suicide

“If the senators think they can get away with a ‘yes’ vote and explain it, they’re sadly mistaken,” Schumer told reporters Wednesday afternoon. “The cuts are too deep. The cuts are too real. The cuts are too devastating for people.”

Schumer called the press conference Wednesday afternoon in response to the Congressional Budget Office’s release of the estimated costs of the Republican reconciliation bill.

The CBO estimates that the House version of the legislation would result in 10.9 million people losing health insurance by 2034. The majority of the cuts come from instituting work requirements for Medicaid eligibility for able-bodied adults without dependents.

About 15% of the coverage losses would be people denied subsidized medical insurance because of their immigration status.

President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) have argued that the bill does not cut major programs and instead addresses “waste, fraud, and abuse.” 

But Democratic standard-bearers have made the healthcare provisions of the megabill their central focus.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), along with Trump’s 2016 election opponent, Hillary Clinton, have slammed the bill as a historic cut in health coverage for vulnerable populations.

Former President Barack Obama posted Monday on X that the reconciliation bill’s changes to Obamacare are something “everybody should be paying attention to.”

“Congressional Republicans are trying to weaken the Affordable Care Act and put millions of people at risk of losing their healthcare,” Obama said.

Schumer characterized the bill as a “repeal and replace by another name,” referring to the Republican attempts to undo changes to the healthcare system made under Obama’s Affordable Care Act of 2010.

Trump made “repeal and replace” a key pillar of his 2016 campaign, but he and other Republicans were unable to deliver after the late Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) sided with Democrats to save the landmark legislation.

“Repeal and replace” was not a feature of Trump’s 2020 or 2024 campaigns, but he said last year that he had “concepts of a plan” when asked about healthcare reform.

“Despite the lies that Republicans have been telling Americans and maybe themselves, there’s a cold, harsh reality that this bill is just tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy paid for by gutting healthcare,” Schumer said.

Based on opinion polls, Democrats latching on to the healthcare provisions of the GOP bill could be their best shot at tanking the signature legislation of Trump 2.0.

Fifty-three percent of people report that either they themselves or a family member has been covered by Medicaid at some point, according to the left-leaning healthcare think tank KFF. Nearly 80% of respondents, regardless of party affiliation, reported having a favorable view of Medicaid.

Obamacare favorability is also at an all-time high, with 64% of people saying they approve of the system as of January.

NEARLY 11 MILLION UNINSURED UNDER ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL ACT, CBO SAYS

More than 72 million adults are enrolled in Medicaid nationwide, and nearly 7.3 million minors are covered by the Children’s Health Insurance Program, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Obamacare marketplace insurance plans covered roughly 24 million people last year as well.

“Let me be clear: Democrats are ready,” Schumer said. “We are ready to fight. We are doubling down. We’re ready to show Americans what’s really at stake here.”