This is an excerpt from the May 14, 2026, edition of “The Tea, Spilled by Morning Joe” newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered straight to your inbox Monday through Friday.
In a new poll out from Pew Research Center, Americans continue to cite healthcare, budget deficit, inflation and unemployment as major issues facing the U.S. However, a bipartisan divide cuts across the perception of all these issues:
New data also indicate that more than 1 in 5 Americans enrolled in Affordable Care Act coverage may have been dropped after failing to pay first-month premiums. Subsidies for Obamacare premiums, enacted in 2021, expired after Republicans refused to extend them at the start of the year. As MS NOW’s Zeeshan Aleem notes:
It’s difficult to call the Republicans’ decision to let the subsidies lapse a policy misstep because it was a deliberate decision, and its unfolding consequences were predicted in advance. Coupled with the GOP’s legislation passing tax cuts for the rich, the agenda is clear: an upward redistribution of wealth.
But the false populism of the right is likely to bear political costs. The exorbitant cost of healthcare in the United States is one of the most commonly cited causes of a high cost of living. Historically, attacks on healthcare have motivated protest votes, too. The GOP took a huge hit in the 2018 midterm elections during Trump’s first term because Democrats were able to capitalize on the GOP’s attempts to dismantle the ACA.
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