EXCLUSIVE — A vendor in charge of displaying House Democrats’ billboards accusing vulnerable Republicans of voting to cut Medicaid and give tax breaks to Elon Musk was forced to take them down after House Republicans’ campaign arm sent a cease-and-desist letter on Wednesday.
The Washington Examiner exclusively reported that House Majority Forward launched six billboards in vulnerable Republican districts, those of Reps. Gabe Evans (R-CO), Don Bacon (R-NE), Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA), Monica De La Cruz (R-TX), Jen Kiggans (R-VA), and Rob Wittman (R-VA), on Tuesday.
But now, the billboards have been pulled after the National Republican Congressional Committee sent a letter to Lamar Advertising Company, warning the vendor it “will be liable for the defamatory messages spread to voters in each district.”
“Medicaid has not been cut by the Federal government,” NRCC’s letter, obtained exclusively by the Washington Examiner, stated. “No Member of Congress has voted for cuts to Medicaid. House Majority Forward can only point to wishful speculation that cuts could occur sometime somewhere in the future— they cannot point to any cuts that have already taken place.”
“House Majority Forward’s message willfully ignores the fact that their Republican targets have publicly voiced their support for Medicaid and perpetuates false claims to the contrary,” the letter added.
Wendi Loup, Lamar Advertising Company’s assistant general counsel, said in a response letter reviewed by the Washington Examiner that Lamar’s national sales campaign specialist confirmed the billboards are “no longer running.”
The billboards claimed the Republicans “voted to cut Medicaid to give billionaires like him tax cuts,” referring to Musk, who was featured on the billboard next to the lawmaker.
“Tell Jen Kiggans to oppose Medicaid cuts,” the billboard for Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District reads.
The NRCC letter listed all six districts under Lamar’s umbrella. But House Majority Forward told the Washington Examiner that two of the six, one targeting Bacon and one targeting Evans, are still up and running as they are operated by a different vendor. The PAC did not provide the name of the second vendor or proof of the billboards still being up by print time.
The NRCC said if there are any other vendors, “we’ll get them down in seconds.”
“This proves what we’ve been saying all along: Democrats have no winning message so they resort to lies and fear-mongering in a disgusting effort to distract voters,” NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “The American people aren’t buying it, and House Democrats should be ashamed of themselves.”
Accusing Republicans of wanting to cut Medicaid and Social Security has been the rallying call for Democratic lawmakers and progressive opposition groups since President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20. With the GOP trifecta, Democrats virtually have little political power, and they have been working overtime to establish a strong message to regain the trust of voters heading into the 2026 midterm elections.
But pulling the billboards, which were up for a little over 24 hours in the districts, is a blow to Democrats’ messaging plans — particularly as several Democrats continue to face blowback from constituents that they do not have a solid plan to fight back against Trump and Republicans.
A spokesperson for House Majority Forward told the Washington Examiner that Lamar Advertising Company had not sent it the NRCC’s cease-and-desist letter as of Wednesday night and their lawyers have not been given the opportunity to respond.
“This is very much an ongoing legal back and forth,” the spokesperson said of the battle with the billboards under Lamar’s umbrella, pointing to research backing up the billboards’ claims.
Democrats have argued Republicans are planning to cut Medicaid after the Congressional Budget Office released a memo noting the $880 billion in proposed Energy and Commerce Committee cuts run right through the healthcare beneficiary program. All six Republicans targeted in the billboards voted for the budget resolution, which unlocks reconciliation and calls for nearly $2 trillion in cuts.
ELISE STEFANIK FINALLY GETS HER CONFIRMATION DATE AFTER HOUSE GOP MATH ADDS UP
But GOP leadership has consistently brushed off Democrats’ claims that Medicaid is on the chopping block as “hysteria,” pointing to the language of the budget resolution and arguing the bill’s text does not specifically mention Medicaid, Social Security, or Medicare.
“The fact is that ads across the country, including other ads paid for by HMF, have been run about the GOP Medicaid cut — and the claims being made have been verified by both the CBO and Republicans including Rep. Don Bacon,” HMF communications director CJ Warnke told the Washington Examiner. “This is a desperate attempt by the babies over at the NRCC to silence free speech and facts because they know they’re losing on this issue.”
