Rep. David Valadao of the Central Valley, who is already a prime target for Democrats in the upcoming election, further jeopardized his political future this week by supporting legislation that cuts the Medicaid coverage that almost two-thirds of his people depend on.
Despite his reservations about President Trump’s megabill, the Republican dairy farmer from Hanford said he voted in favor of it because of concessions he helped negotiate that will benefit his district, including an extra $25 billion for rural hospitals, $1 billion for Western water infrastructure, and agricultural investments.
According to the UC Berkeley Labor Center, Valadao’s district has the highest number of Medi-Cal beneficiaries in California, with over 500,000 persons covered. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the bill, which was passed by a slim Republican majority in both the House and Senate, would cut federal Medicaid spending by $1.04 trillion over ten years while maintaining tax advantages for the wealthiest.
Valadao claimed that a number of the legislation’s components, like as the extension of tax cuts, the removal of overtime and tip taxes, and the growth of the child tax credit, would directly benefit his constituents.
He claimed that these are genuine victories that will increase the amount of money that industrious families in the Valley will receive. Although no piece of legislation is flawless, this one ultimately embodies the goals of [my district]: greater infrastructure, stronger farms, reduced taxes, and a dedication to preserving Valley residents’ access to healthcare.
In the 2026 election, Democrats promised to use Valadao’s vote to remove him from office. His district is one of the most competitive in the country, encompassing large portions of Kern, Kings, and Tulare counties.
In a post on the social media site X on Monday, Valadao reiterated his commitment to oppose legislation that would reduce healthcare for his constituents: I have been clear from the beginning that I will not support a final reconciliation bill that makes harmful cuts to Medicaid, jeopardizes vital funding, or jeopardizes the stability of healthcare providers throughout his district.
Following his vote on Thursday, Valadao stated that he supported the plan because it protects Medicaid for its target population, which includes the elderly, disabled, pregnant women, and children.
Anna Elsasser, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said in a statement that David Valadao “just sealed his fate by voting for a bill that will rip health care away from tens of thousands in his district, where more than two-thirds of his constituents rely on the very program he’s gutting”. After lying to them directly, he attempted to hide it. When it counted most, we all knew he would fold. It is dishonest and lacks courage, and it will cost him his seat in November of next year.
A billboard that said David Valadao was lying. In order to give CEOs a tax break, he supported to abolish Medi-Cal. On Thursday, Fight for Our Health, a nonprofit alliance of health, labor, senior, disability, and other organizations, placed the sign “We’ll pay with our lives” near the 99 Freeway in Valadao’s district.
In addition, Democrats want to attack Rep. Young Kim (R-Anaheim Hills) and Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Corona) for their backing of the bill.On Tuesday, hundreds of demonstrators flocked to Kim’s field office in Anaheim to call on the congresswoman to reject the bill.
Politics
On Tuesday, demonstrators chanted at a congresswoman from Orange County who may have a pivotal vote on President Trump’s plan to reduce over $1 trillion in federal funding that supports healthcare for the poor.
Due to the departure of three GOP senators who joined every Democrat in voting against Trump’s proposal, Vice President JD Vance cast a tie-breaking vote on Tuesday, narrowly passing the U.S. Senate.
The bill will significantly change the country’s tax structure by making tax cuts that were approved during the president’s first term permanent, which will greatly benefit corporations and the country’s wealthiest citizens. It will also drastically reduce funding for long-standing federal safety-net programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which helps low-income Americans buy food.
According to a CBO analysis published on Sunday, the Senate version of the proposal would cause 11.8 million Americans to lose their health insurance within ten years and raise the national budget by about $3.3 trillion between 2025 and 2034.
Republicans were divided about the proposal; some were against the amount of money it would add to the deficit, while others were worried about the effects it would have on their people. However, in the end, Republican members of Congress set aside their disagreements in order to fulfill Trump’s goal of having the law on the president’s desk by Independence Day.
Trump and GOP legislative leaders won a victory Thursday when members of the House of Representatives voted 220-212, mostly along party lines, to pass a procedural rule that permits the legislation to be debated by the whole body. The lengthy session ended early Thursday morning.
Given the amount of his Medicaid-dependent constituents, his prior readiness to challenge Trump, and GOP fears about retaining control of his seat, Valadao’s vote in favor of the procedural vote before midnight on Wednesday sparked eyebrows.
According to the nonpartisan California Target Book, which handicaps congressional campaigns, Democrats make up more than 40% of the district’s voters, followed by Republicans (28.0%) and those who are registered as having no party preference (23.3%).
The 48-year-old Valadao was elected to Congress in 2012 after serving one term in the state Assembly. Before barely losing reelection in 2018, he was reelected twice. In 2020, he was elected again.
As one of ten Republican members of Congress who voted to impeach Trump in 2021 following a violent mob of Trump supporters storming the U.S. Capitol following the president’s loss in the 2020 presidential election, he infuriated his fellow Republicans. But according to reports, Valadao was spared the same punishment from Trump as the others because of the congressman’s longstanding friendship with Bakersfield’s former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
On Wednesday, Governor Gavin Newsom told reporters that if Valadao supports the bill, he should resign.
At a press conference in Burbank, he declared, “It’s the ultimate betrayal.” One of the most disastrous and catastrophic bills of our time is this one.
Hospitals would close, Californians will no longer have access to food stamps and healthcare, and student loan debt will rise if the plan is approved, according to Newsom.
If he agrees, Newsom stated, “Valadao might as well step down early and I can call a special election.” If you would deceive your own constituents to such a remarkable extent, what foundation do you have for trusting your own district? It is among the nation’s poorest districts.
