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.