Dems Threaten to Toss Virginia Map After State Supreme Court Ruling
Angry Democratic lawmakers gathered over the weekend to vent over the Supreme Court of Virginia overturning the state’s newly drawn congressional map, with some members floating what was described as a dramatic proposal: replacing the court itself to revive the map.
According to a report from The New York Times, Democratic leaders, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, held a private meeting Saturday following the court’s ruling the previous day. During the discussion, lawmakers reportedly expressed frustration with the decision and debated possible responses.
Journalist Reid J. Epstein reported that some participants discussed what he described as an “audacious and possibly far-fetched idea” aimed at restoring the rejected map, though not all Democrats were supportive of the proposal, the Times reported.
“The most dramatic idea they discussed — which would involve an unusual gambit to replace the entire state Supreme Court, with a goal of reinstating their gerrymandered map — drew mixed reactions on the call,” Epstein wrote.
He added, “it was not clear that it would even be viable, or palatable to Gov. Abigail Spanberger and Democrats in the Virginia General Assembly.” A number of Democrats representing Virginia in the House were also on the call, the report said.
“They did not land on a specific course forward, and Mr. Jeffries and the other members of Congress agreed to consult with their lawyers about the most prudent way to proceed, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe a private talk,” the report added.
The discussion among Democrats arises as both parties are engaged in a redistricting struggle in preparation for the 2026 midterm elections. A ruling from Virginia on Friday dealt a setback to Democrats, as the new congressional map was expected to provide the party with an advantage in 10 out of the state’s 11 congressional districts.
Other topics that were bantered back and forth during the call were ways for Democrats to flip two or three Republican-held seats under the current map, and a “bank-shot proposal to redraw the congressional lines anyway,” Epstein reported. The call reflected the “desperation and fury” that is currently gripping the party, he noted further.
After the state Supreme Court struck down the voter-approved Democratic congressional redistricting plan on Friday in a 4-3 ruling, Democratic leaders in the state announced plans to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court of the United States.
The ruling marked another setback for Democrats as the party battles Republicans nationwide for an advantage heading into this year’s midterm elections. The appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court is seen as a long-shot bid, at best, to get their map reinstated.
Democratic leaders, including Virginia House Speaker Don Scott and Attorney General Jay Jones, filed a motion late Friday seeking to pause the state court’s ruling while they pursue an emergency appeal before the U.S. Supreme Court. Jeffries, meanwhile, vowed the ruling “will not stand.”
The Virginia Supreme Court concluded that the Democratic-controlled legislature failed to follow required procedures when placing a constitutional amendment on the ballot authorizing mid-decade redistricting. Although voters narrowly approved the amendment on April 21, the court’s decision effectively invalidated the result.
Writing for the majority, Justice D. Arthur Kelsey said lawmakers presented the constitutional amendment to voters “in an unprecedented manner.” He added, “This violation irreparably undermines the integrity of the resulting referendum vote and renders it null and void.”
Democrats had hoped Virginia’s newly redrawn congressional map would help the party gain as many as four additional seats in the U.S. House as part of a broader effort to counter Republican-led redistricting initiatives backed by President Donald Trump in other states.
Friday’s ruling, coupled with a recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court significantly narrowed key provisions of the Voting Rights Act by ruling that racially-drawn districts are unconstitutional, is expected to strengthen Republicans’ redistricting advantage ahead of this year’s midterm elections
Trump Admin Says It Uncovered $10 Billion Obamacare Fraud Scheme
The Trump administration says it has uncovered what it describes as a massive fraud scheme within the Affordable Care Act.
Members of Trump’s administration allege that roughly $10 billion in taxpayer money was improperly paid out between 2021 and 2024 because of weakened enrollment safeguards under former President Joe Biden.
According to a Department of Health and Human Services report, officials have already removed nearly three million fraudulent or improper Obamacare enrollments and estimate another 2.6 million questionable enrollments remain.
Administration officials say the findings are part of a broader government-wide effort to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse across federal programs.
The report traces the alleged problems to changes made during the Biden administration that expanded enrollment opportunities while relaxing income verification and eligibility checks.
At the start of Biden’s presidency, approximately 10 million people were enrolled through the Affordable Care Act exchanges. By 2024, enrollment had surged to roughly 22 million.
Federal investigators now believe millions of those enrollments were improper, fraudulent, or created without the knowledge of the individuals involved.
“By our estimate, improper, phantom, and fraudulent enrollment peaked at 5.6 million people in 2025,” the report states.
“We estimate 2.6 million improper and phantom enrollments remain, including over 1 million enrollments without a Social Security number.”
According to the report, several different forms of abuse contributed to the alleged fraud.
Officials say some applicants intentionally understated their income to qualify for larger taxpayer-funded subsidies.
Others allegedly received premium assistance despite failing to meet eligibility requirements.
Investigators also identified what they describe as “phantom enrollments,” in which insurance brokers allegedly enrolled people in Obamacare plans without their knowledge to collect federal commissions.
The report argues that reduced verification requirements made those practices significantly easier to carry out.
Since taking office, the Trump administration says it has restored stricter income verification requirements, ended several special enrollment periods, increased screening for duplicate Medicaid enrollment, and launched investigations into brokers suspected of creating phantom policies.
Officials also say they have strengthened oversight of agents participating in the federal marketplace.
As a result of those efforts, nearly three million enrollments have already been removed from the Affordable Care Act exchanges.
Even after those removals, approximately 19.2 million people remain enrolled.
The administration says its goal is not to reduce legitimate coverage but to ensure taxpayer dollars are being spent only on individuals who actually qualify.
“Preserving the fiscal and programmatic integrity of the ACA Exchanges is key to safeguarding taxpayer-funded resources for those that truly need them,” the report states.
“The federal government paying brokers to enroll individuals without their knowledge is not.”
The report also says the administration will continue pursuing additional enforcement actions against brokers and others accused of exploiting the program.
“The Trump Administration continues to aggressively root out fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption by promulgating new regulations to improve program integrity, investigating suspected improper or fraudulent enrollment, and taking action against agents and brokers committing fraud.”
The findings are likely to reignite debate over the Affordable Care Act and how aggressively eligibility rules should be enforced.
Supporters of the administration argue the report demonstrates that stricter oversight is necessary to protect taxpayers and preserve benefits for those legally entitled to receive them.
Critics of previous verification rollbacks have long warned that loosening enrollment safeguards could increase improper payments and fraud, while supporters of the Biden-era policies argued the changes made healthcare more accessible to eligible Americans, Fox News reported exclusively.
The administration says its investigations remain ongoing, with an estimated 2.6 million additional enrollments still under review as officials continue auditing the federal health insurance exchanges.
Trump has been pushing to replace Obamacare for over a decade, and this may give Republicans enough motivation to actually do something.
