Vice President JD Vance traveled to a crucial swing state on Wednesday to sell the Trump administration’s signature domestic policy legislation as a victory for working American families, despite concerns even among some Republicans over its cuts to the safety net in service of benefiting the rich.
In what amounted to an attempted brand relaunch of legislation that Democrats have framed as an attack on the middle class, Mr. Vance traveled to a machine shop in eastern Pennsylvania to spotlight provisions in the package that would cut taxes, preserve overtime pay and create $1,000 savings accounts for newborns.
Left unmentioned by Mr. Vance were the cuts to Medicaid and the nutritional assistance programs that many of Mr. Trump’s own supporters rely on.
“I think this will be transformational for the American people,” Mr. Vance said in front of signs that read “No tax on tips” and “America is back.” The vice president appealed to those in attendance to help the administration sell the package ahead of next year’s midterm elections, arguing that it would benefit Americans like those working in the manufacturing facility serving as his backdrop.
“We’re going to invest in American workers and American families every single day,” Mr. Vance added. “That’s my solemn promise to every single person in this room.”
Selling the bill is likely to be an uphill climb, particularly after Republicans provided Democrats a series of sound bites expressing concern over how Medicaid cuts would hurt their constituents. While polls show the bill is broadly unpopular, it is difficult to say how much it will influence voters in future elections. Still, six out of 10 Americans find the package unpopular, according to a recent CNN poll. Roughly 58 percent of Americans said Mr. Trump had gone too far in cutting federal programs.
Mr. Vance appeared intent on changing the minds of those voters by redirecting attention to the tax breaks that the legislation provides before the 2026 midterms, and away from the cuts that will take effect after the election. He celebrated the extension of Mr. Trump’s tax cuts and a new tax-advantaged savings account for children that comes with a government contribution of $1,000.
Mr. Vance, seeking to style Republicans as the party of the working class, argued that the legislation, which includes an expansion of Pell Grant eligibility to support work force training programs, would encourage young people to seek alternative career paths beyond expensive colleges.
“Your government should not be forcing you to do what elites in Washington want you to do,” said Mr. Vance, a Yale Law School graduate.
He also spent time explaining a provision of the bill that will allow workers to deduct overtime pay from taxable income.
“Go and talk to your neighbors, go and talk to your friends, about what this bill does for America’s citizens,” Mr. Vance said, claiming Democrats prioritized immigrants without legal status over American workers. “Because we don’t want to wake up in a year and a half and give the Democrats power back.”
Democrats seized on Mr. Vance’s appearance in the swing state to attach him to the cuts to the social safety net.
Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor, reminded his followers on social media on Wednesday that Mr. Vance had cast the tiebreaking vote on the domestic policy legislation.
“Don’t forget he was the deciding vote on the federal budget that will do real damage while ballooning our national deficit,” Mr. Shapiro wrote. “From gutting health care and food benefits to killing tens of thousands of energy jobs, the bill is a disaster for people across PA.”
The task of selling the package also comes as Mr. Trump struggles to contain deepening fissures in his own base that could affect not just the sitting president but future leaders of party, including Mr. Vance, the possible heir to Mr. Trump’s movement.
As Mr. Vance talked about the administration’s domestic policy legislation, Mr. Trump chastised his own supporters who had criticized his administration’s handling of the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier.
Weeks earlier, the White House faced criticism from prominent Trump allies over the president’s decision to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities. Those critics argued that the decision undermined the isolationist approach Mr. Vance has championed.
Dave Carney, a Republican strategist who ran Preserve America, a pro-Trump super PAC, said he believed the job of selling the domestic policy agenda was an opportunity, rather than a challenge, for Mr. Vance.
“The vast majority of people in America that don’t live on two coasts: They’re focused on these kinds of economic issues,” Mr. Carney said.
Zolan Kanno-Youngs is a White House correspondent for The Times, covering President Trump and his administration.
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