Congressional Republicans are looking to use more face time with constituents during the August recess to right the ship of sinking poll numbers for President Donald Trump’s “Big, Beautiful” tax law.
Democrats are pummeling the law just as pivotal 2026 midterm election races take shape, leaving Republicans playing catch-up to sell Americans on its provisions, which a majority so far views as negative.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), a critic of the law’s Medicaid portions but one of the few GOP senators to hold an event touting its passage, sees his party as too complacent on messaging Trump’s signature domestic policy agenda now that it’s finally law.
“I’ll celebrate stuff I like. The stuff I think is not very good, I’m going to try to get repealed,” Hawley told the Washington Examiner. “Some of the people who are the most vocal cheerleaders for this behind closed doors won’t say a word about it in public, and those of us who had to fight to make this better, I’m the only one who’s out there who’s done an event.”
He added: “I haven’t shied away from my positions at all.”
Republicans received their latest reminder this week to get in front of voters and counter Democratic attacks in a strategy memo from the House GOP campaign arm. The memo mirrored a similar proposed tactic laid out by the Senate GOP’s campaign arm earlier this month, which told them to “hit the road” with public events.
At an event in Ohio on Monday celebrating the law, which advanced Trump’s priorities on energy, border security, tax cuts, and spending, Vice President JD Vance appeared to try to lead by example. He stole a page from Democrats’ playbook, which has included traveling to GOP districts to criticize Republicans. Vance called out Democrats from nearby districts for not backing policies in the law that are individually very popular, such as exempting tipped income from taxes.
“[Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-OH)] is not here today. And you know why she’s not here today?” Vance said. “Because she’s not celebrating no taxes on tips. She’s not celebrating no taxes on overtime. She’s not celebrating the highest rise in take-home pay in 60 years because she fought us every step of the way.”
But not everyone is on the same page about the One Big Beautiful Bill Act messaging, despite poorer polling figures on the broader law. A recent Wall Street Journal survey showed 70% say Trump’s tax plan favors the wealthy, 52% oppose the law compared to 42% who support it, and roughly the same, around 40%, said they would be harmed, compared to those who said they would benefit.
“I don’t know if we have to sell it as much as people think,” Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), a member of Majority Leader John Thune’s (R-SD) leadership team, told the Washington Examiner. “In Oklahoma, I don’t have to … The more people that find out about it, the more they actually like it.”
‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ 2.0 COULD SET UP FISCAL HAWKS FOR MORE DISAPPOINTMENT
In a nod to concerns from those like Hawley over Medicaid changes that will result in fewer covered Americans, less funding for rural hospitals, and higher out-of-pocket costs, Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) said lawmakers’ offices should boost constituent services to address those who may be affected.
“Office by office, able to invite people that see a risk for their own coverages and so forth, to be able to make contact and find out if their fears are legitimate, or if it’s misinformation,” Rounds said.