The government shutdown has revealed how "Republicans are bracing" for a midterm walloping, according to a new Washington Post report published Tuesday.
While Democrats may have backed down during the longest U.S. government shutdown, "the underlying fight over extending tax credits under the Affordable Care Act, could prove perilous for Republicans in the long term," The Post reports.
"The result: The longest government shutdown in U.S. history has no clear ultimate political victor, as polling shows the public disapproving of both parties’ approach. Instead, Democrats are bearing the brunt of the political losses in the immediate term, while Republicans are bracing for longer-term consequences," according to the report.
GOP strategists are cautioning Republican lawmakers to be careful about cutting costs and specifically removing Affordable Care Act subsidies, which are popular among Americans.
"A KFF poll released last week found 74 percent of Americans supported extending tax credits, and among those who do, 3 in 4 say either Trump or congressional Republicans would deserve most of the blame if Congress does not extend them," The Post reports.
Republicans will now have to "work on a soft landing for health care," according to Patrick Sebastian, a GOP strategist in North Carolina.
Sebastian argues Democrats "got nothing" from the shutdown and also noted that cutting off ACA subsidies could be a difficult challenge for Republicans.
“Once you give someone something and you take it away a hundred percent, it’s politically difficult,” Sebastian said.
Some White House insiders have told The Post they don't think President Donald Trump will have long-term challenges and view the shutdown as only temporary, while his approval ratings drop and Republicans saw major defeats in elections last week. So far, the administration has made no mention of the ACA or health care, instead pivoting to affordability.
"They’ve suggested that recent dips in the president’s approval rating are merely blips and emphasized a focus on driving prices down for consumers, which has emerged as a political liability," according to The Post.