EXCLUSIVE — The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is launching a four-figure digital ad buy on Wednesday targeting House Republicans on the looming government shutdown and expiring Obamacare tax credits.

The ad buy, shared first with the Washington Examiner, is hitting the 35 Republicans who are considered “Districts in Play” for Democrats heading into the 2026 midterm elections. The targets are the 29 seats rated competitive by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report and six seats considered more solidly red.

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An impending government shutdown on Oct. 1 has Democrats and Republicans pointing fingers at one another as lawmakers left Washington after a short-term spending deal failed in the Senate. The DCCC, which is House Democrats’ campaign arm, argues Republicans are waging a “purposeful crusade” against the country by refusing to negotiate on a plan to extend expiring subsidies in the Affordable Care Act.

Extending the tax credits is a bipartisan issue across both chambers of Congress, but a majority of Republican leadership has shown little interest in extending COVID-19-era provisions that occurred under the Biden administration.

“Millions of Americans are getting hit with skyrocketing health care costs or face the loss of coverage entirely because vulnerable Republicans can’t be bothered to fix the crisis they created,” DCCC spokesman Viet Shelton said in a statement.

On the other side, Republicans have maintained that the seven-week continuing resolution is “clean” and keeps the spending levels Democrats voted for at the end of last year when former President Joe Biden was in the White House.

A government shutdown is not something Republicans want blighting their GOP trifecta, particularly after a similar situation occurred during President Donald Trump’s first term. It was the longest shutdown in United States history, lasting 35 days and spanning from the end of 2018 into 2019.

Historically, the House flips to the party opposite the White House in the midterm elections. While Republicans are banking on messaging that Democrats want to use a CR to reinstate funding for illegal immigrants, voters have traditionally been prone to blame the party in charge of Washington for any shuttering of federal funding.

For House Republicans in swing districts, this could be a risky game — particularly those who have encouraged GOP leadership to move forward with a plan to address the expiring subsidies that won’t lead to skyrocketing healthcare costs for their constituents.

“They would rather shut down the government than lift a finger to provide relief for working families,” Shelton added. “The DCCC is making sure voters know who’s responsible for ripping away affordable health care from them: Congressional Republicans.”

REPUBLICANS PUSH LEGISLATION TO ELIMINATE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWNS

But Democrats also are at a crossroads, as any attempt to make a deal with Republicans could anger a base that wants to see their party doing more to combat Trump and his unprecedented stretch of executive authority.

Mike Marinella, spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, told the Washington Examiner that Democrats “know voters are furious that they voted to shut down the government.

“While Republicans are fighting for our most vulnerable, House Democrats are holding working families hostage for more taxpayer-funded giveaways to criminal illegal immigrants,” Marinella said. “No amount of mediocre ads will cover up their failure.”