This was unexpected.
Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., delivered a blunt warning to his own party this week, saying Republicans risk alienating everyday Americans despite major legislative victories under President Donald Trump.
Justice praised Republican accomplishments in 2025 but said GOP leaders are failing where it matters most: understanding how rising healthcare costs affect ordinary families.
“We do a lot of good things,” Justice said in an interview with Fox News Digital. “But Republicans are terrible at understanding what regular people are actually thinking—and that causes serious problems.”
Justice often refers to everyday voters as “Toby and Edith,” representing middle-class Americans living paycheck to paycheck. He said those voters don’t follow Washington power struggles—they feel the results when bills arrive.
That concern is now front and center as Congress prepares to leave Washington without resolving a looming healthcare crisis: the expiration of Obamacare premium subsidies.
Those subsidies, expanded by Democrats under former President Joe Biden, are set to expire this week. If they lapse, millions of Americans could see their monthly health insurance costs double, triple, or surge by more than 300 percent.
Justice acknowledged that Democrats deliberately designed the subsidies to expire. But he warned Republicans will take the political blame because voters see the GOP in charge.
“People remember Obamacare started under Barack Obama and that it never really worked,” Justice said. “But they also see Republicans controlling Congress and the White House and ask, ‘Why haven’t they fixed it?’”
To families already squeezed by inflation, the sudden loss of subsidies means less money for groceries, gas, and basic necessities.
“That’s how real people think,” Justice said. “And if Republicans aren’t paying attention to that reality, they’re making a huge mistake.”
So far, Washington remains divided. Senate Republicans failed to pass a proposal converting subsidies into health savings accounts, while Democrats couldn’t secure support for a three-year extension. In the House, one GOP bill avoids the issue entirely, while a bipartisan proposal would temporarily extend the subsidies. That measure is expected to come up for a vote in early January.
Despite his criticism, Justice strongly defended President Trump’s broader agenda, arguing the administration is trying to shift healthcare money away from insurance companies and into the hands of patients.
“Just extending Obamacare isn’t the solution,” Justice said. “We need to fix the system. President Trump understands that. He wants Americans—not insurance corporations—to control their own healthcare dollars.”
Justice concluded with a warning to his party: policy victories mean little if voters feel ignored when costs rise.
“Our messaging as Republicans isn’t where it needs to be,” he said. “And when people are hurting, they notice.”
