Is President Trump losing his grip on the Republican Party?

2025 is set to end without the passage of a new health care
bill. 





Congress had been working to hammer out new legislation before
the holiday break. Democrats were pushing for an extension of
Affordable Care Act subsidies that lowered the cost of health
care premiums for millions of Americans. Those subsidies are set
to expire at the end of 2025. 





House Democrats were joined in the fight by moderate Republicans
who worried that skyrocketing healthcare costs would leave them
vulnerable in next year’s midterms. GOP leadership pushed for
alternatives that would increase the possibility of coverage
without the extensions. 





Lawmakers will resume the fight in January, with votes set for
the extensions desired by Democrats after a Republican proposal
passed earlier this week. Will the pressure of the midterms lead
to larger cracks between GOP members and leadership?





Midterms also have the potential to bring a new look to the
Republican base. New polling from NBC News shows that the share
of Republicans who identify as MAGA compared to traditional
Republicans dipped from 57/43 in the spring to 50/50 as the year
ends. Is this identity shift among voters a red flag for a party
looking to increase turnout next November? And has the president
lost some of his charm with Republican voters?





Plus, does either party really care about the national debt
anymore? Our KCRW panel answers one listener’s question about a
political argument that seems to have gone by the wayside.