Democrats see Trump's big bill as key to comeback

It is big and it is beautiful, President Donald Trump says. But for many Democratic leaders, the tax break and spending cut package passed by Trump's Republican allies in Congress on Thursday represents the key to the Democratic Party's resurgence. Even before the final vote, Democratic officials were finalizing ambitious plans for rallies, voter registration drives, attack ads, bus tours and even a multiday vigil, all intended to highlight the most controversial elements of Trump's “big beautiful” bill: deep cuts to the nation’s safety net that will leave nearly 12 million more people without health coverage and millions of others without food assistance, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

- Steve Peoples and Hannah Fingerhut, Associated Press

In political battlegrounds across Alaska and lowa, Pennsylvania and California, Democrats have begun to use the bill against Republicans. Democrats are promising that the Republican president's domestic policy achievement to date will be the defining issue of every major election between now and next fall’s midterms. “One thing is abundantly clear: Republicans own this mess and it’s an albatross around their necks heading into the midterms,” Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin told the media. “This is the least popular legislation in modern history, and the more voters learn about it, the more they hate it. That's a clear directive for Democrats — we're going to make sure every single voter knows who is responsible.” Even with early public opinion on their side, however, it's far from certain that the legislation will be the political winner Democrats hope.