Dems See Opportunities in Republican Embrace of MAHA Movement +...

I’m Stephanie Armour, a KFF Health News senior correspondent in Washington, D.C., covering health policy and the people behind it. Send tips to sarmour@kff.org. By Stephanie Armour There’s a lot going on in Washington right now. While President Donald Trump has been grabbing for Greenland, he’s also talked in the White House about health policy — whether it’s the Rural Health Transformation Program, ways to address the nation’s spiraling health costs, or an effort to promote whole milk in schools. WATCH: Trump blames Democrats for rural health care struggles at roundtable event Politics Updated on Jan 16, 2026 3:07 PM EST — Published on Jan 16, 2026 9:59 AM EST https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-trump-participates-in-rural-health-roundtable?utm_campaign=KHN%20-%20Weekly%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-93R6lLowBhiJWl2bk3hCYnwzhrf4NGDP_CKwmrO__pRYwRBGw9-CYxycWb3y03xNSi3A-LUGtUaKh95XmRj3B8v-QxBg&_hsmi=400088487&utm_content=400088487&utm_source=hs_email Whole Milk is Back: President Trump Signs Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act Published: January 14, 2026 https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2026/01/14/whole-milk-back-president-trump-signs-whole-milk-healthy-kids-act?utm_campaign=KHN%20-%20Weekly%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9iFErtZxKkaUnEiO-CzhbSSMicIHqLuISsSb95QhCbm4Z3dGefG5yKfHQWx09jxNCjc_2Ly2lsdWGlB-rd3v0w9PtdTA&_hsmi=400088487&utm_content=400088487&utm_source=hs_email At the same time, congressional Republicans are eyeing health issues from the "Make America Healthy Again" perspective, hoping it will provide a boost in the midterm elections. Make America Healthy Again: An Unconventional Movement That May Have Found Its Moment https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/make-america-healthy-again-maha-rfk-calley-casey-means/?utm_campaign=KHN%20-%20Weekly%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_cwuZCFQvflEUwySuSB3MzN_kW9tqP2k6zONXTHoxUMLO6lBoelIDa16hxzyT9I65FkdKwiM6DItrobZ7W3zAtb69mQA&_hsmi=400088487&utm_content=400088487&utm_source=hs_email Here’s why. Republicans see the MAHA constituency as critical in the midterms and beyond because its supporters include desirable voting demographics: independents and some Democrats, many of whom are women, younger voters, or suburbanites. The strategy risks backfiring, though, because polls show voters care more about reducing health care costs than about MAHA’s war on junk food or efforts to roll back access to vaccines. The affordability issue was thrust center stage last year when enhanced subsidies for Affordable Care Act marketplace plans expired. NEW POLL: Crushing Health Care Costs Top Priority for Voters Survey reveals overwhelming bipartisan support for lowering health care costs, for enhanced premium tax credits, and also for broader and bolder health care reforms https://familiesusa.org/press-releases/new-poll-crushing-health-care-costs-top-priority-for-voters/?utm_campaign=KHN%20-%20Weekly%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-94M-sD05dAhzDvdvLnkRFbDjitEywvcGeu9XrxeYL77GBIsoCy3HNOOVd6pU_g525qihMR_hg_N4bqA8yVRSGUXRmerQ&_hsmi=400088487&utm_content=400088487&utm_source=hs_email Sticker Shock: Obamacare Customers Confront Premium Spikes as Congress Dithers https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/obamacare-aca-congress-price-increases-subsidies-open-enrollment/?utm_campaign=KHN%20-%20Weekly%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_mx6lmNW0KPANPaxTY1yjF2fDaYomCAIzGxpHuia67-o3UsYunS-ErbfAJXDhPVeQoegpfjzZxQx7U2jlzgku7ef6DBQ&_hsmi=400088487&utm_content=400088487&utm_source=hs_email As a result, many of the roughly 23 million people who buy coverage on the health law’s marketplaces are now facing premium payments more than double what they faced last year. Congress is continuing to wrestle with what has emerged as a key kitchen table issue. Democrats are strategizing about how to use public support for MAHA priorities to their own advantage. They’re hoping to expose GOP policies that run counter to MAHA priorities; trumpet Democrats’ efforts to tackle health care costs; and highlight their own party’s work on such MAHA goals as cracking down on pesticide-makers, according to some Democratic strategists. Democrats are talking about their continuing fight to address health care costs while largely avoiding direct attacks on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. or MAHA, because the movement resonates with the public. Meanwhile, cracks are starting to threaten the Make America Great Again coalition and the lockstep support Trump has enjoyed from Capitol Hill Republicans. https://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/general/one_item_and_teasers/waf.htm For Republicans, the next batch of MAHA events and summits is already scheduled. After taking a political back seat in recent years, health care may dominate the 2026 election races. https://www.npr.org/2025/11/18/nx-s1-5611107/epstein-files-mtg-trump-maga-gop?utm_campaign=KHN%20-%20Weekly%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9mzIzdvLsXmdjvcrkLw8AQuezaYG1gyXsy7_QUNO8uRTNjCFwc2O8XsrZGh4F5LiJkSPwXMED3uAritgI9QS5rxSXtww&_hsmi=400088487&utm_content=400088487&utm_source=hs_email