Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries rips Trump budget cuts at desert town hall

RANCHO MIRAGE — One time aft President Trump projected a fund that would profoundly slash the national government, Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries connected Saturday vowed that his enactment is unified successful their absorption to cuts to Medicaid, Social Security, veterans’ services and different safety-net programs for susceptible Americans.

“We are committed to doing everything we tin astatine this infinitesimal to halt the Republicans from trying to jam this reckless, utmost fund down the throats of the American people,” helium told a fewer 100 radical gathered successful a high-school performing arts halfway for a legislature municipality hall. “It volition wounded children and families and seniors and women and older Americans and Americans with disabilities. Hospitals volition close, nursing homes could unopen down, and successful fact, radical could die.”

Jeffries said the fund comes from an out-of-control Trump administration, and described the connection arsenic un-American and unconscionable.

“We’re going to bash everything we tin to halt this fund successful its tracks, hide it successful the crushed and marque definite it ne'er rises again,” helium said.

Christian Martinez, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, criticized Jefferies’ quality astatine the municipality hall, calling him “delusional, destructive, and drenched successful hypocrisy.”

The lawsuit occured successful the legislature territory of 1 of Trump’s late rallies successful the 2024 statesmanlike campaign.

The lawsuit was the archetypal halt connected a nationwide circuit of the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, arsenic good arsenic a municipality hallway hosted by Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Indio).

Ruiz represents each of Imperial County and parts of Riverside and San Bernardino counties, including Cathedral City, Indio, Coachella, El Centro, Calexico, San Jacinto, Hemet and Needles. In caller elections, the territory has been viewed arsenic safely Democratic.

But earlier this year, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report deemed it “likely Democratic” due to the fact that of Trump’s show successful the portion successful the 2024 election. In 2024 the president won 10 counties successful California that voted for Biden successful the erstwhile election, including 3 successful Southern California, and mislaid to erstwhile Vice President Kamala Harris successful Ruiz’s territory by a scant 2 points.

Ruiz acold outperformed his chap Democrat, winning the territory by 13 points. But depending connected who the GOP legislature campaigner is successful adjacent year’s midterm elections, and whether the enactment puts resources down him oregon her, the contention could beryllium much competitory successful 2026.

First elected to Congress successful 2012, Ruiz said helium was particularly acrophobic astir imaginable cuts to Medicaid, which provides healthcare sum for low-income Americans and is known arsenic Medi-Cal successful California, due to the fact that of his acquisition arsenic a physician.

“I person anxiousness due to the fact that galore of the patients I took attraction of were connected Medi-Cal, and I cognize that without Medi-Cal they won’t get their treatment, and they’ll travel in, adjacent successful much dire circumstances, into the exigency department,” helium said.

He argued that the fund cuts Trump is proposing are truthful ample that determination is nary mode to enact them without cutting Medicaid. Ruiz said helium was told by the Inland Empire Health Program that 3 hospitals successful his territory volition astir apt person to adjacent if determination are important Medicaid cuts.

“So if you don’t person Medicaid, wherever are you going to go? If there’s an emergency, wherever are you going to spell to get your chronic care?” Ruiz said. “So this affects each of us.”

Ruiz’s comments were successful effect to a question from an assemblage subordinate astir healthcare. Other inquiries acrophobic deportations, owed process, Social Security and cuts to national departments including the Centers for Disease Control and the Department of Education.

The municipality hallway besides featured Rep. Nanette Barragan (D-San Pedro), a co-chair of the Steering and Policy Committee, and Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), the seat of the House’s Democratic Women’s Caucus. The second delivered an impassioned plea astir the interaction of national cuts to the women who trust connected national healthcare sum during their pregnancies and to their children.

“When those babies are born, we privation them to beryllium calved beardown and healthy,” Leger Fernández said. “And past those children volition spell to school, and we privation to marque definite that they are not hungry, right? Because kids cannot larn wherever their stomachs are growling. ... But close now, Medicaid, the nutrition programs, education, they are each projected to beryllium chopped ... truthful that they tin springiness trillions of dollars of taxation cuts to the wealthiest who backed them.”

Jeffries said specified efforts are portion of a broader battle connected the federation and democracy, and are wherefore Democrats are holding municipality halls not lone successful their party’s districts but besides those represented by Republicans.

“Congress is simply a abstracted and co-equal subdivision of government,” helium said. “We don’t enactment for this president. We don’t enactment for immoderate president. We don’t enactment for Donald Trump. We don’t enactment with Elon Musk. We don’t enactment for far-right extremists. We enactment for you, the American people.”