NEW ORLEANSDemocrats ripped at the health care reforms in the Louisiana town hall Thursday night to preview one of their primary themes for trying to win the U.S. House next year.
The leading Democrat in the House claimed that the gathering in Speaker Mike Johnson’s home state was the first in a planned national tour to inform voters about the measure, which he described as a full-scale attack on the American people. Additionally, he pointed out that Republicans had pledged not to make any changes to Medicaid, the federal health insurance program for Americans with lower incomes.
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In front of several hundred people at Xavier University in New Orleans, Jeffries stated, “And the first chance they got, they do the exact opposite.” They should be ashamed.
Some of the leading House Democrats are assembling at a pivotal moment for the party. It is looking for a strategy to regain control of Washington, but it is having trouble coming up with a narrative that will appeal to working-class voters who have switched to the Republican Party in previous elections.
Before the 2026 midterm elections, when Democrats hope to take control of the House and unseat Republicans from their grasp on the levers of power in Washington, Democratic leaders think the bill, which President Donald Trump signed into law on July 4th, is a good idea.
The event on Thursday, according to Florida Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, was the first stage in Democrats’ plan to ensure that people understand what they are losing and who took it away from them.
However, one of their difficulties was exposed by another congresswoman. According to Illinois Representative Robin Kelly, it has been evident from her meetings with constituents that the majority of them are unaware of the bill’s contents and potential effects.
By extending tax cuts from Trump’s first term, which primarily benefited the wealthiest Americans, and introducing new ones, such as tip-tax exemptions, the package comprises almost $4.5 trillion in tax advantages. It also reduces clean energy tax credits and unlocks hundreds of billions of dollars for Trump s national security agenda, including for .
Congressional Budget Office The plan puts 11.8 million adults and children at risk of losing their health insurance, which would eventually make it more difficult to sign up for federal health care programs like Medicaid and others that the president has established. It also predicted that 3 million Americans will no longer be eligible for SNAP payments, often known as food stamps.
The bill cuts $1 trillion in federal Medicaid funding.
According to Democratic Representative Troy Carter, who represents a large portion of New Orleans, Republicans are doing this all so they can give billionaires and the largest corporations trillions of dollars in tax relief. Stealing from the poor to give to the rich is actually reverse Robinhood.
To draw attention to the effects of those cuts, Democrats decided to hold their town hall in Louisiana. Both Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise are from this state.
Louisiana is one of the states that the bill is anticipated to affect during the next ten years. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the measures might result in a more than 200,000 rise in the number of persons without health insurance, while the state’s enrollment in the health care program is anticipated to be 1.5 million. The foundation discovered that almost 38% of the people living in Johnson’s own district are enrolled in Medicaid.
While some providers are already starting to be ready for possible cuts, the majority of the bill’s health care changes, such as the new Medicaid work requirements on some adults, won’t take effect until after next year’s elections.
According to Carter, 33 rural hospitals in the state could close.
New Orleans East Hospital’s CEO, Dr. Takeisha Davis, expressed concern about the impact health care cuts will have on patients and the public hospital’s operations. Approximately 60% of the 300,000 people it sees annually are covered by Medicaid.
Davis was direct in her evaluation of the bill’s possible effects, stating that more avoidable deaths in our community would result from a lack of health care.
The top nursing officer at the hospital, CJ Marbley, informed the Democrats that Medicaid covers most mother births in Louisiana.
He pointed out that Black women are four times more likely than white women to die from pregnancy-related problems, and that any cutback in this vital program could result in the death of both the mother and the unborn child.
He accompanied Trump at the White House when he signed the law last week, insisting that it will strengthen the borders, boost the American economy, and prevent tax increases for millions of Americans.
Johnson has been supporting the measure on social media and has previously stated that it will make this country stronger, safer, and more prosperous than ever before. However, his office did not reply to calls for comment.
Prior to the town hall, Scalise stated that Democrats who voted against the package will have to explain to the Louisiana voters why they voted against extending Trump’s tax cuts, tip and overtime tax benefits, and other features he claims will benefit the state.
“The hard-working families of our state will greatly benefit from it,” Scalise said in a statement. “Lawrencens voted overwhelmingly to put President Donald Trump back in the White House and give Republicans majorities in the House and Senate to implement the America First agenda, which is exactly what we did with the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill.”
Some town hall participants questioned whether Thursday’s event may have been more successful if it had taken place in a different location, like Scalise’s or Johnson’s districts, rather than New Orleans, a Democratic stronghold.
“We all believe in these guys—they need to find the people who don’t believe,” Patricia Owen-McGill, a 74-year-old Democrat from New Orleans, remarked.
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This article was written by Lisa Mascaro, a Congressional Correspondent for the Associated Press in Washington.
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The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to tackle underreported topics. Brook is a corps member for this program.
