A congresswoman from Orange County who might cast a crucial vote on President Trump’s plan to reduce over $1 trillion in federal funding that helped pay for healthcare for the poor and prolong tax breaks for millions of Americans was the target of protesters on Tuesday.
Hours before hundreds of people gathered in a cul-de-sac outside Republican Representative Young Kim’s Anaheim field office to protest such cuts, Trump’s planned One Big Beautiful Bill Act narrowly cleared the U.S. Senate. The U.S. House of Representatives still has to vote on the proposal, which might take place this week.
There is nothing beautiful about it, so I’m not sure why they name it that. According to UCLA nurse Melody Mendenhall, who is involved with the California Nurses Association, one of the organizations that coordinated the demonstration, “it’s dangerous, it’s careless, it’s cruel, and it’s going to hurt people.” Listen to our voices and our cries, Rep. Young Kim. Our Medicaid is essential. These kinds of careless cuts and actions are beyond our means.
Kim’s office parking lot was blocked by a security guard, and at least six Anaheim police officers observed the demonstration.
A number of individuals who seemed to be Kim employees observed the protest from outside the building before rushing inside as demonstrators marched to it, made vain attempts to enter, and then started yelling “Shame!” Disgrace!
Kim noted in a statement that she was always available to Californians in her area.
“I voted to protect and strengthen Medicaid services for our most vulnerable citizens who truly need them because I know how important they are to many in my community and I understand that some of my constituents are concerned,” Kim stated. In recent months, I have had meetings with a number of these local healthcare advocates.
Trump’s plan would drastically change the country’s tax code by making cuts made during his first term permanent, which would greatly benefit the country’s wealthy and corporations. It would also drastically cut funding for historic federal safety-net programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which helps low-income Americans get food.
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The Senate passes President Trump’s spending plan after Vice President JD Vance casts the decisive vote.
More than a third of Californians, or about 15 million people, are enrolled in Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program. Some of the greatest enrollment rates are found in rural counties that voted for Trump in the November election. Medi-Cal provides healthcare coverage to over half of California youngsters.
With Kim’s backing, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a version of the Republican plan.On Tuesday, a modified version of the bill was barely adopted by the U.S. Senate.Vice President JD Vance had to give the decisive vote to pass it in that chamber after three GOP senators defected.
Now, the House and Senate will try to bring their two versions of the measure together. Despite the fact that members of Congress were working in their districts this week, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) ordered members to return to Washington, D.C., for possible votes on the bill on Wednesday or Thursday.
Though some members are unsure if they will have enough votes to pass the bill due to possible defections and the united Democratic opposition, Republicans are hoping to have the legislation on President Trump’s desk for his signature by Friday, Independence Day.
According to a neutral Congressional Budget Office report published on Sunday, the Senate version of the proposal would cause 11.8 million Americans to lose health insurance in less than ten years and raise the national deficit by about $3.3 trillion between 2025 and 2034.
On social media, Trump congratulated the bill’s approval and called on House Republicans to back the Senate’s proposal.
Due to the proposal’s impact on their constituents and the amount it would contribute to the national deficit, some House members have voiced their worries about it, creating a division among the GOP.
Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford) posted on the social media platform X on Sunday, saying, “I have been clear from the start that I will not support a final reconciliation bill that makes harmful cuts to Medicaid, puts critical funding at risk, or threatens the stability of healthcare providers in his congressional district.”
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Governor Gavin Newsom stated on Friday that the budget bill pending in the U.S. Senate might result in up to 3.4 million Californians losing their state Medi-Cal health insurance.
According to the UC Berkeley Labor Center, he represents the largest number of Medicaid-dependent Central Valley residents—more than half a million—of any California congressional district. When asked how the congressman intended to vote on Tuesday, a Valadao representative did not reply.
Although Kim’s Orange County district is wealthier than Valadao’s, almost one in five of her residents are Medicaid recipients.
A spokeswoman said the representative was traveling to Washington at the time of the demonstration.
Protesters outside her Anaheim field office detailed the bill’s effects on vulnerable Californians, including veterans, elderly people, disabled children, and those who would no longer have access to reproductive healthcare.
Never before have the stakes been so high. According to Emily Escobar, a public outreach manager for Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties, we are living in a time when our rights are being attacked.
Abortions are not covered by government dollars, she added, but they do assist in funding other essential medical services like cancer screenings, preventative care, STD testing and treatment, and access to contraception. California is home to more than one-third of Planned Parenthood’s patients countrywide.
According to Escobar, these cuts would lead to facility closures, which will essentially limit access to abortion.
She clarified that the law is a backdoor ban on abortion.
After her husband, who has multiple chronic illnesses, fell last year, Shari Home, 73, said she and her husband were considering how to split their Social Security income between food, medicine, and medical supplies.
The Laguna Woods resident said, “We applied for and received Medi-Cal and food assistance in January because the hospitalizations were so costly, and it’s been such a lifesaver.” I’m not sure what we would do without Medi-Cal. We wouldn’t have a good life. We wouldn’t have the drugs he need.
Michelle Del Rosario, 57, had a button on her blouse that had a picture of her 25-year-old son William. The Orange resident, who has voted for Kim in the past, is the main caretaker for her son, who has autism, epilepsy, and speech impairment.
According to her, her son depends on his Medi-Cal coverage for both the home health assistance he receives and his $5,000 monthly seizure medication.
He resides at home. According to Del Rosario, he wants to live freely and work someday, but in order to do so, he requires these support services.
