Dems hit Medicaid, Elon Musk fears in expensive campaign targeting 23 House Republicans

FIRST ON FOX: A group closely tied to House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., is spending millions of dollars on a new ad campaign against 23 lawmakers, accusing Republicans of trying to take away health care from senior citizens and children.

The ads, which begin running on Monday, accuse Republicans of "threatening healthcare for 37 million kids and kicking seniors out of nursing homes just to make billionaires like Elon Musk even richer."

Fox News Digital got a first look at a list of 23 Republican lawmakers being targeted by House Majority PAC (HMP), a fundraising operation aligned with Democratic leadership.

The majority of them won close races across California, Pennsylvania, Arizona and other states that were critical to clinching the House GOP's razor-thin majority in the 119th Congress.

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A group aligned with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is spending seven figures on a new ad campaign invoking Elon Musk (Getty Images)

Mike Smith, president of HMP's action arm House Majority Forward, linked the ads to House Republicans' vote last week to advance President Donald Trump's agenda via the budget reconciliation process.

"Last week, Republicans betrayed the American people—breaking their promise and paving the way to strip millions of men, women, and children of their health insurance," Smith said. "We will make sure every American knows exactly who is responsible."

The 23 House Republicans being targeted are:

• Rep. Nick Begich, R-Alaska
• Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz.
• Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz.
• Rep. Kevin Kiley R-Calif.
• Rep. David Valadao, R-Calif.
• Rep. Young Kim, R-Calif.
• Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif.
• Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Colo.
• Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa
• Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa
• Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Mich.
• Rep. John James, R-Mich.
• Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb.
• Rep. Tom Kean Jr., R-N.J.
• Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y.
• Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa.
• Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-Pa.
• Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa.
• Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va.
• Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va.
• Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis.
• Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis.
• Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas

President Donald Trump has said he does not want to touch Medicaid (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

It's part of Democrats' continued pushback against the proposed $880 billion in cuts Republicans are seeking to programs under the jurisdiction of the House Energy & Commerce Committee.

Republicans are looking for at least $1.5 trillion in cuts to government spending to offset the cost of Trump's priorities expected to be included in the bill, including eliminating taxes on tipped and overtime wages as well as more funding for U.S.-Mexico border operations.

GOP lawmakers have consistently pointed out that Medicaid and other federal aid programs are not mentioned in the text of their framework for that legislation.

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Republicans have argued they are only looking to root out waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government. Trump, for his part, told reporters last week that he would not touch Medicaid.

Mike Marinella, spokesman for House Republicans' campaign arm the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), told Fox News Digital in response to HMP, "Democrats are running the same playbook of resorting to shameless fearmongering and outright lies because they’re trying to hide the fact that they just voted to raise taxes on hardworking Americans. This is a disgusting, pathetic attempt to distract voters from their failures, and they know it."

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., ushered through a massive bill calling for at least $1.5 trillion in spending cuts last week (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

But Democrats and some moderate Republicans are skeptical that the savings can be found without cutting deeply into those programs.

Democrats also appear to have found a potential new boogeyman in Musk ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, as he and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) work to find at least $1 trillion in cuts to the federal bureaucracy.

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HMP's ad strategy was first reported by Punchbowl News last week.

And the NRCC pointed Fox News Digital to a memo sent by them last week that accused Democrats of weaponizing the Trump budget bill vote.

"They have turned their backs on the working class and have taken a wrecking ball to America’s fiscal future. This vote is an anvil around the ankles of vulnerable House Democrats, and the NRCC plans to weaponize it to ensure they lose their races in 2026," the memo said.