Democratic leader Jeffries heads to Speaker Johnson’s home state to decry cuts in Trump’s tax law
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The top Democrat in the U.S. House is holding a town hall Thursday in Louisiana, home to Republican Speaker Mike Johnson and his deputy, to rally against the health care cuts in the GOP bill that President Donald Trump signed into law.
Led by New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, Democrats are taking their case about Trump’s signature second-term domestic policy priorities directly to the people with the event in Democratic-heavy New Orleans, outside the districts represented by Johnson in northwestern Louisiana and Majority Leader Steve Scalise in the city’s suburbs and elsewhere.
Jeffries had said during a nearly nine-hour speech in the House before a final congressional vote last week that restrictions on health care and access to food aid in the tax breaks and spending cuts package were “immoral.” He pledged that Democrats would “stand up and push back against it with everything we have,” though the minority party was unable to prevent passage.
Democratic leaders believe the new law will sway voters before the 2026 midterms elections, when Democrats look to win control of the House and break the hold that Trump and the GOP have on Washington.
The measure includes about $4.5 trillion in tax breaks by extending cuts made during Trump’s first term, mostly benefiting the wealthiest Americans, and adding new ones including no taxes on tips. It also slashes clean energy tax credits and unleashes hundreds of billions of dollars for Trump’s national security agenda, including for border patrol and deportations.
The Republican leaders who stood with Trump at the White House as he signed the bill into law July 4 insist the measure will boost the U.S. economy, strengthen U.S. borders and ensure millions won’t see a tax increase.
“With one big beautiful bill we are going to make this country stronger, safer and more prosperous than ever before,” Johnson said.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates 11.8 million adults and children are at risk of losing their health insurance by the Republican law, which over time will make it harder to enroll in federal health care programs, including Medicaid and others created by President Barack Obama’sAffordable Care Act. Additionally, it estimated 3 million Americans will no longer qualify for food stamps, also known as SNAP benefits.
The legislation reduces federal Medicaid spending by $1 trillion. Louisiana is among states expected to lose one-fifth of its Medicaid budget over the next decade as a result. An estimated 1.5 million people in Louisiana are enrolled in the health care program, and the policies could increase the uninsured population by more than 200,000, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. In Johnson’s own district, some 38% of the residents are enrolled in Medicaid, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Most of the health care changes, including the new Medicaid work requirements on certain adults, will not begin until after the 2026 midterm elections, though a number of providers are already beginning to prepare for potential cutbacks.
In the town hall, Jeffries and other House Democrats will seek to hammer home the bill’s impact on Louisianans represented by Johnson and Scalise. The offices of Johnson and Scalise did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Democratic Rep. Troy Carter, who represents much of New Orleans, told The Associated Press ahead of Thursday’s event that Democrats are “coming in total honesty and transparency to the American people to talk about this bill and we’ve challenged our Republican counterparts to do the same.”
“Their constituents will be harmed by this big ugly bill,” Carter said.
The evening event, hosted by Carter at Xavier University, is set to include co-chairs of the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee and “Louisianans impacted by Medicaid cuts,” according to a press release from Carter’s office.
“We’ve got to do this all over to let people know what this bill does and how it will impact them,” Carter said. “And remind them of the callousness, if you will, of those who knew it was wrong but still voted for it.”
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Associated Press Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed to this report.
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Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.