GOP ‘Problem Solvers’ voted for deep Medicaid cuts they opposed

Some of the most vulnerable House Republicans up for reelection next year took issue with provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB) before ultimately supporting the law.

That’s especially tricky for Reps. Juan Ciscomani (AZ-07), Jen Kiggans (VA-02), Tom Kean Jr. (NJ-07), Mike Lawler (NY-17), and Young Kim (CA-40), all of whom have made bipartisanship central to their political brands.

A KFF tracking poll finds that 64% of voters have a negative view of OBBB, particularly its cuts to Medicaid. An estimated 15 million Americans are expected to lose health insurance by 2035 because of it.

Ciscomani specifically took issue with the law’s health care cuts, writing in an April press release that he “cannot and will not vote for legislation that reduces Medicaid coverage for those who need it” and that he has an “unwavering commitment to preserving Medicaid benefits.” A month later, he voted for the bill anyway.

The Senate then made changes to the bill before sending it back to the House, at which point Ciscomani again took issue with the bill’s cuts to Medicaid.

“As Members of Congress who helped secure a Republican majority, we believe it is essential that the final reconciliation bill reflects the priorities of our constituents,” said a letter Ciscomani co-signed in June. “Most importantly, the critical need to protect Medicaid and the hospitals that serve our communities.”

Despite these objections, Ciscomani voted for the bill again a few weeks later.

The June 2025 letter was also signed by Kiggans, Lawler, and Kim, all of whom supported the bill with Medicaid cuts intact. Those same lawmakers, plus Kean, also expressed concern about OBBB’s rollback of clean energy tax credits implemented during the Biden administration.

Kiggans warned Republicans on the House’s tax writing committee that a wind farm being built off the coast of her Virginia Beach district would be imperiled if the rollbacks stayed in the law. Kean expressed concern that New Jerseyans could see higher utility bills because of the cuts.

Kean’s concern was echoed in another letter from June 2025 that Kean, Kiggans, Lawler, Kim, and Ciscomani all signed.

“The transferability of energy tax credits should remain available throughout the lifetime of the credit,” the letter said. “Transferability ensures affordable electricity for American families and provides certainty for developers.”

This plea was ignored, but all of the letter’s signatories still supported the bill. Electricity costs have risen by about 5.5% per household since President Donald Trump returned to the White House.

All of these lawmakers also serve on the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus that is “committed to advancing common-sense solutions to key issues facing our nation.” Some have pointed to their membership in the caucus as proof of their bipartisan bona fides.

“I joined the Problem Solvers Caucus to help find solutions for families and businesses in New Jersey,” Kean said in 2023. “Every day of gridlock in Washington is another day that issues impacting my constituents at home go unaddressed.”

Lawler said, “I ran for Congress as a bipartisan problem solver committed to action, not idle talk” around the same time.

Despite these proclamations, an analysis by the Center for American Progress found that 99% of House Republicans, including those mentioned in this story, have voted with the White House at least 95% of the time.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) says the districts held by Kean, Kiggans, Lawler, Kim, and Ciscomani are some of their best pickup opportunities for 2026.