House Ways and Means markup devolves into clashes over Medicaid, ACA subsidies and tax cuts for the wealthy

Republican lawmakers pressed ahead in a House Ways and Means markup of the party’s reconciliation tax bill as Democrats repeatedly warned the package would strip health coverage from millions of people while permanently extending large tax cuts for high-income households and pass-through businesses.

Representative Plaskett said at the committee microphone, “Giving money to the rich does not raise wages or grow new jobs,” summing a theme repeated across the Democratic side: the bill’s benefits tilt to the wealthiest while it reduces or fails to extend supports Democrats say working families need.

Why it matters: Democrats described a package that combines permanent tax reductions for high earners with policies they say would shrink federal roles in health care and safety-net programs. Members from both parties traded amendment votes through the night; many measures offered by Democrats — including attempts to preserve expanded Affordable Care Act subsidies, to extend Medicaid-equivalent protections in non‑expansion states, and to strengthen paid family leave — failed in party-line or near-party-line votes.

Most urgent: Democrats warned that the bill’s provisions would sharply raise the federal deficit and reduce coverage. Representative Suozzi cited committee analysis during debate: "As we heard earlier today, this is going to…