A top pollster for President Donald Trump advised a group of House Republicans on how to defend against Democrats’ attacks over expiring Obamacare tax credits: focus on reducing drug prices instead.
Tony Fabrizio showed new polling to members of the Republican Study Committee in a closed-door meeting held a few blocks from the Capitol Wednesday. He argued the most effective way for Republicans to counter Democrats’ health care messaging is to change the subject and pivot to reducing drug prices in tandem with Trump.
The presentation was described by a House Republican aide and two people in the room who were granted anonymity to discuss the closed-door event. Fabrizio did not return a request for comment.
Notably, the House GOP aide said Fabrizio did not recommend any extension of the insurance subsidies, something he has advocated for in the past. The Trump administration has recently refocused attention on drug pricing, a topic the president tends to return to when Democrats try to hammer him on health care.
Fabrizio also spoke extensively about housing policy as a key area of potential focus for Republicans as high home prices and interest rates weigh on voters. The RSC itself is pushing housing as a key focus for a potential party-line bill the GOP could pass ahead of the midterms.
Notably, Fabrizio encouraged House Republicans to work on advancing so-called portable mortgages, an idea some Trump officials have been mulling. That would allow homeowners to essentially take their mortgage rate with them when they move.
He also gave a postmortem rundown on the results from Tuesday’s Tennessee special election, where Republicans held onto the safe red seat albeit by a single-digit margin — raising concerns for the GOP ahead of next year’s midterms.
Fabrizio argued it was a closer race than Republicans would have liked because they weren’t talking enough about affordability issues facing voters. He told the group to “stay the course and talk about the realities of the economy,” one House Republican present said.
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