Protesters railed on Tuesday against an Orange County congresswoman who could be a critical vote on President Trump’s proposal to cut more than $1 trillion in federal dollars that helped pay for healthcare for those in need and extend tax cuts for millions of Americans.
Trump’s proposed “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” narrowly passed the U.S. Senate hours before hundreds of people gathered in a cul-de-sac outside of the Anaheim field office of Republican Rep. Young Kim to protest those cuts. The legislation still needs to be voted on by the U.S. House of Representatives, which could happen before the end of the week.
“I don’t know why they call it beautiful, because there’s nothing about it that’s beautiful. It’s harmful, it’s reckless, and it’s cruel, and it’s going to hurt people,” said Melody Mendenhall, a nurse at UCLA who is active with the California Nurses Assn., which was among the groups that organized the protest. “Rep. Young Kim, hear our cry, hear our voices. We need our Medicaid. We cannot afford this type of reckless cuts and behavior.”
A security guard blocked the parking lot to Kim’s office and at least a half-dozen Anaheim police officers watched the protest unfold.
Several people who appeared to be Kim staffers watched the demonstration from outside the building before they dashed inside when protesters marched to the building, unsuccessfully sought to enter it and then began chanting “Shame! Shame!”
In a statement, Kim said that her door was always open to Californians in her district.
“I understand some of my constituents are concerned and know how important Medicaid services are for many in my community, which is why I voted to protect and strengthen Medicaid services for our most vulnerable citizens who truly need it,” Kim said. “I have met with many of these local healthcare advocates in recent months.”
Trump’s proposal would dramatically overhaul the nation’s tax code by making cuts approved during the president’s first term permanent, a major benefit to the corporations and the nation’s wealthy, while slashing funding for historic federal safety-net programs including Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which helps provide food to low-income Americans.
Roughly 15 million Californians, more than a third of the state, are on Medi-Cal, the state’s version of Medicaid, with some of the highest percentages in rural counties that supported Trump in the November election. More than half of California children receive healthcare coverage through Medi-Cal.
A version of the Republican bill was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives with Kim’s support. The U.S. Senate narrowly approved an amended version of the bill on Tuesday. The defection of three GOP senators meant Vice President JD Vance had to cast the tie-breaking vote for it to pass in that chamber.
The House and Senate will now work to reconcile their two different versions of the bill. This week was a district work week for members of Congress, but House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) ordered members back to Washington, D.C., for votes on the bill that could occur Wednesday or Thursday.
Republicans hope to get the legislation to President Trump’s desk for his signature by Friday, Independence Day, though there is some concern among its members about whether they will have enough votes to pass the bill because of potential defections and the united Democratic opposition.
An analysis released by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office on Sunday estimated that the Senate version of the proposal would increase the national deficit by nearly $3.3 trillion from 2025 to 2034 and would result in 11.8 million Americans losing health insurance in less than a decade.
Trump praised the passage of the bill on social media and urged House Republicans to support the Senate plan.
The proposal has caused a rift within the GOP, with and some House members have expressed reservations about the measure because of the amount it would add to the nation’s deficit and its impact on their constituents.
“I’ve 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, Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford) wrote on the social media site X on Sunday.
He represents more than half a million Central Valley residents who rely on Medicaid — the most of any congressional district in California, according to the UC Berkeley Labor Center. A spokesperson for Valadao on Tuesday didn’t respond to a question about how the congressman planned to vote.
Kim’s Orange County district is more affluent than Valadao’s, but roughly one in five of her constituents relies on Medicaid.
The congresswoman was en route to Washington at the time of the protest, according to a spokesperson.
Outside her Anaheim field office, protester after protester described how the bill would impact vulnerable Californians, such as disabled children, the elderly, veterans and those who would lose access to reproductive healthcare.
“The stakes have never been higher. We are living in a time when our rights are under attack,” said Emily Escobar, a public advocacy manager for Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties.
She said that federal funds do not pay for abortions, but help pay for other vital healthcare, such as cancer screenings, preventative care, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections and access to contraception. More than one-third of Planned Parenthood’s patients nationwide reside in California.
These cuts will result in clinics being shut down, effectively reducing access to abortion, Escobar said.
“Let me make this clear, this bill is a backdoor abortion ban,” she said.
Shari Home, 73, said she and her husband were weighing how to divide their Social Security income on food, medication and medical supplies after her husband, who suffers several chronic health conditions, fell last year.
“The hospitalizations were so expensive, so we applied for and got Medi-Cal in January and food assistance, and it’s been such a lifesaver,” said the Laguna Woods resident. “Without Medi-Cal, I don’t know what we would do. Our lives would not be good. We would not have the medications that he needs.”
Michelle Del Rosario, 57, wore a button picturing her son William, 25, on her blouse. The Orange resident, one of Kim’s constituents who has previously voted for her, is the primary caregiver for her son, who has autism, epilepsy and does not speak.
Her son relies on his Medi-Cal coverage for his $5,000-a-month seizure medicine, as well as the home health support he receives, she said.
“He lives at home. He has desires, at some point, to live independently, to work, but he needs” these support services for that to happen, Del Rosario said.
This story originally appeared on LA Times
