House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries picked the home state of the top two House Republicans to kick off a national tour slamming the recently passed reconciliation package Thursday.
Jeffries was joined on stage by Louisiana Rep. Troy Carter, a Democrat who hosted the town hall in New Orleans. Steering and Policy Committee co-chairs Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Robin Kelly, and Nanette Barragán were also on stage to help bash President Donald Trump’s signature domestic legislation and urge voters to help spread the word about the disastrous effects they said it would have.
“One of the takeaways as you all communicate with your friends, family, neighbors, is this is the largest cut to health care in American history,” Jeffries said. “On top of the largest cut to nutritional assistance in American history. They are literally ripping food from the mouths of children, veterans and seniors. It’s outrageous.”
The bill cuts more than $1.1 trillion from Medicaid, and the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the number of people uninsured would increase by 11.8 million over the next decade.
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Louisiana stands to be disproportionately affected by these Medicaid cuts because it has more residents on Medicaid than nearly any other state in the country.
Louisiana Rep. Clay Higgins, a Republican, represents a district with one of the highest shares of Medicaid recipients in Republican-held districts.
“It will not only hurt Democrats, it will hurt Republicans and independents and people throughout,” Carter said. “On the notion that this is some partisan bill. It’s only partisan because the Republican Party by and large pushed through a bill with their nearly unanimous support, against the wishes of even our state legislature that is controlled by Republicans.”
Constituents joined Carter on stage, one of whom was the mother of a son who was born with a congenital heart issue.
“Medicaid provides everything he needs to survive and live safely at home, nursing, therapies, daily care, equipment, so many things,” she said. “Medicaid has not only kept Connor alive, it’s kept our family intact. That’s why I’m deeply concerned about the budget reconciliation bill.”
When asked by a constituent what Democrats are currently doing to fight back, Kelly emphasized that they are working with their attorneys general to continue to legislate and communicate with constituents, despite not being in power.
“I feel like we are doing everything we can do where we’re not just on legacy news, we’re on podcasts. We’re working with influencers, social media, whatever the young people tell us to do to get the word out,” Kelly said. “I mean, we’re doing everything we can do.”
Barragán pointed out that constituents play an important role in dispelling misinformation.
“We have to make sure we set the record straight. That’s why I stayed on the road, going to communities, to share the harms of this bill. It is so critically important,” Barragán said. “We gotta be laser focused on ‘26.”
Jeffries also referenced a comment that Sen. Mitch McConnell made during a floor debate a few weeks ago to his colleagues about Medicaid.
“A few weeks ago, when the bill was in the Senate and some of his colleagues expressed concern with this assault on health care, this assault on Medicaid,” Jeffries said. “He said, don’t worry, the American people will get over it. I got a clear message for Mitch McConnell: They will never get over it. The American people will never get over it.”
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