If Trump cuts Medicaid, then the California Republican home seat will be threatened

Rep. David Valadao faced an invincible decision last month: lag behind President Trump and voted to decide on budget resolutions that would almost certainly cut Medicaid funds, risking his voters’ anger; or vote on it, slowly throwing his party into chaos and preparing for the main rivals Trump supports.

Valadao, a Republican dairy farmer from Hanford, chose his party.

exist His speech Before the vote, Valadao admitted that he had “heard from countless voters” and advocated continuing to support the plan.

He said: “I will not support the final settlement bill, which has the potential to leave it behind.

Valadao’s vote took place early in the budget process, and Republicans say it will eventually provide $2 trillion in savings. Assume that all Democrats vote on the final spending plan – just like the budget solution, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) can afford to lose only one Republican vote.

Back home, Valadao faces the daunting task of reassuring his constituents in the 22nd Congressional District, and he will lay off employees to Medi-Cal because he is famous in California. Republican Rep. Jankin and Ken Calvert, representing other swing areas in California, also voted to decide on the budget. But Valadao faces an uphill battle: According to the plan, it covers more than fifty residents of his Central Valley District (or about two-thirds of the population), the largest number of residents in any district in California.

Democrats are ready to use their votes to disappoint the long-time congressman.

As a minority party in the House and Senate, Democrats have been working to decide how to resist Trump and Republicans in Congress. The vote on the budget settlement would almost certainly cut Medicaid, which gave them some work to work with: The House majority, a progressive political action committee, began attacking ads in 23 potential swing areas held by Republicans, including Valadao’s.

Valadao participated in the Buttonwillow Autumn Farm Festival in October 2022.

(Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

“David Valadao will vote for families in the Central Valley to vote for gut Medicaid to provide a large tax cut for billionaires and big corporations,” Justin Chermol, spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said in a statement.

Many Central Valley residents are in poor health. Kern County is one of three counties that make up the region, with the state having the highest diabetes death rate, with 1,241 deaths between 2020 and 2022.

In neighboring King County, heart disease and cancer are the main causes of death, with more than a quarter of residents rated their health as “fair” or “poor”, According to the county public health department. In Tulare County Health officials warn Budget cuts could force rural hospitals to close, which are already operating on the brink of tension due to a large number of Medi-Cal patients.

She said Kelly Kulzer-Reyes, a Bakersfield resident and co-founder of the Kern Down Syndrome Network, has a working relationship with Valadao, who has supported their advocacy in the past. In the region, more than 8,500 people rely on the regional center, which serves people with developmental disabilities.

“I know he wants to support us, and I know he’s a good guy,” she said. “But the vote that was settled through budget was devastating for me. I’ve never been more scared as I am.”

Amelia Reyes, 12, practiced her gymnastics skills at Club 21 in Pasadena. The Reyes family drove from Bakersfield, so Amelia could take advantage of the learning and resource centers for people with Down syndrome.

(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)

Kulzer-Reyes said recipients such as her 12-year-old daughter, Amelia, rely on state and federal health care programs to fund services that enable them to learn skills and browse the world in the world. Amelia, who has Down syndrome, has access to the program, which helps participants learn how to socialize with others. Other families get health care, such as appointments of doctors of the year and dental examinations – otherwise they don’t.

“These services can create families or destroy families,” Kurze-Rieres said. “If you don’t have access, they can change lives and destroy lives.”

She believes Valadao says he does not support the cuts of the plan. But she hopes he does more to support his party.

“I just hope he’ll say it out loud. It must be tiring, but it’s his job to run,” she said. “This is the destruction or situation for him now.”

Republican leaders who advocate for budget resolutions stressed that it did not explicitly mention Medicaid. Trump lobbied some congressional Republicans to support the budget resolution, and he also said he did not support Medicaid cuts.

But the Congressional Budget Office, which provides nonpartisan budget analysis, reports that the Energy and Commerce Commission’s mission is to cut $880 billion in missions — to get enough savings without touching Medicaid, Medicare or Children’s Health Insurance programs.

Children with Down syndrome learn to socialize in their classes at the 21 club in Pasadena.

(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)

“Medicaid is the only place — like banks, this is where the money is,” said Mark Peterson, professor of public policy, political science, health policy and administration at UCLA. He added Valadao: “He will have problems.”

The budget blueprint ends through various committees. Meanwhile, the Senate will enact legislation in legislation passed on Tuesday to avoid closures and provide funding to the government by September 30. Valadao votes for temporary measures [and] Protect social security, Medicare and Medicaid recipients from unnecessary damage. ”

Almost certainly Facing an ugly reboundValadao avoided holding a town hall in his area. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Fremont) Tauntingly announced that he would hold a meeting in Valadao, as well as in the areas of Kim’s and Calvert.

Fighting for our Health Advocacy Coalition last month, fighting for our health advocacy coalition organized a town hall in Bakersfield and invited Valadao, who said he could not attend. The activity, according to Local Reportthere are many frustrated residents who rely on healthcare programs.

Joyce Hall, 80, carries a sign that says “Healthcare for the people, not for the billionaire’s”, outside the Bakersfield office in Valadao recently afternoon. The retiree said she relied on Medi-Cal to pay for her co-payment and prescription medications. Without it, she said she might have to rely on her family to pay for it.

Hall said if Valado votes to participate in the program, she hopes he loses a seat in Congress in the next election cycle.

Valadao is a rather moderate Republican in most Democratic areas, cautious about speaking out. He avoids the media and rarely conducts interviews. When the reporter approached this article, Valado forwarded the question to his spokesperson, who said he did not.

Voting for critical health legislation is a familiar area Valado is. 2017he voted along the party and joined his Republican colleagues, repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act. The next election cycle, he lost to Democratic challenger TJ Cox.

Valadao Removal of the President Due to inciting an uprising at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. He won reelection in 2024 with more than 11,000 votes.

Matt Herdman, director of nursing for California Conservation, said that if Valadao supports cutting Medicaid’s final budget, that could mean a duplicate of his losses in 2018, the California conservation director of a nonprofit that advocates increasing access to affordable healthcare. He said people in the area are already full of energy to defend against Medicaid cuts.

“If David Valadao votes to cut Medicaid, it will be the biggest problem of failure in 2026,” Heldman predicts.

Republican strategist Cathy Abernathy disputed the assessment and said she didn’t think Valadao should be worried. She said voters in the area believe he can deliver without cutting Medicaid benefits unless wasted and go “greedy.”

“It has cut the size of this government so much that it is expensive for workers, but still providing the services they need is still something they trust in Valado,” Abernasi said.

Some people, such as Cervantes, Germany, believe that Valadao will eventually stand up for voters who rely on Medicaid. Cervantes, who has autism and advocates in the autism community, interned in the office in Valadao in 2014, where he met with members of Congress and learned his values.

Cervantes, 30, relied on Medi-Cal to pay for a plan that opened the door for him, which opened him to travel and participate in programs such as Happy Trails, Horse Therapy program and volunteer trips. It also covers his medical expenses, including annual physical examinations, dental examinations and new glasses.

What message did he give Vallador? Stand under his voters and Medicaid.

“Hey David, when you’re in Washington, D.C. with Congress, the only thing I encourages you to tell Congress not to cut down on health insurance and health care services, because if you do that, then, if you do, people will not only lose their jobs and health care appointments, but many will die.”

Gomez reported from Los Angeles and Pinho from Washington.