Latest news with #Democrat-aligned
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Citing cuts to health care, Bains says she's running for Congress
Assemblywoman Dr. Jasmeet Bains, D-Delano, said she's running for California's 22nd Congressional District, the seat currently held by U.S. Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford. 'From the beginning of this year, a lot of people were asking me if I would ever consider a run for Congress, and I kept saying, 'I hope I don't have to,'' said Bains, a family physician who's served in California's 35th Assembly District since 2022. Bains said much of the work that she entered politics to accomplish was now being undone by the Trump administration, aided and abetted, she said, by Valadao in his recent vote for the massive reconciliation bill recently passed by Congress. 'I have been working day in, day out, to help expand access in an area with some of the most Medicaid patients in the country and this directly cuts a lot of the work that I have been doing,' Bains said. 'The whole reason why I even ran for an Assembly (seat) in the first place.' Speculation around the assemblywoman's potential run has swirled for months, but it wasn't until speaking with The Californian that Bains confirmed her intention to run. California's 22nd District is considered one of the most competitive in the nation and Valadao has been the target of relentless campaigning by Democrat-aligned groups for months. It also has the highest level of Medicaid enrollment in the state — 67%, according to UC Berkeley — making the focus of those attacks the proposed cuts to the program. 'I was shocked when I saw Congressman Valadao vote for what he himself said would decimate health care in our Central Valley, would take away vital access to care in an area that has the least access to begin with,' Bains said. Valadao didn't say revisions to Medicaid would decimate the valley, but he did sign onto a letter in June with other Congressional Republicans cautioning against changes made by the U.S. Senate. In a statement, Valadao said the vote on the reconciliation bill was not an easy one and he said he'd received assurances from the administration about the $50 billion allocated for rural health. Ahead of votes on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Bains appeared in advertisements urging Valadao to vote against the bill. Following the U.S. House of Representatives' vote for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Bains submitted in the state Legislature a resolution to formally censure all nine members of California's Republican Congressional Delegation who voted for it. Yet Bains has also previously clashed with her own party. In 2023, she was removed from an Assembly committee assignment by party leadership for being the only Democrat to vote no on a bill targeting the oil and gas industry. Those clashes were evidence, Bains said, of her willingness to put the interests of her district ahead of party politics. Bains said repeatedly during an interview with The Californian that her loyalty was to the district first. 'Voters in this district just saw their congressman choose party loyalty over them. That is something that I, from the first day I was in the Assembly, it was about choosing my district first,' Bains said. 'This area needs a representative that will choose them first. My loyalty again to the people in this district will always come first.' Bains is the second Democrat to officially challenge Valadao. In April, Visalia School Board member Randy Villegas announced his run for Congress, running on a progressive platform and vowing not to take any corporate political action committee money. Bains declined to make a similar commitment, saying she is focused on bringing health care back to the district. 'I am a doctor,' Bains said. 'I have been fighting to increase health care and I've been fighting to increase access to health care. I continue focusing on the issues that matter most, health care and also affordability, making sure that government is working for the people.' Environmental groups such as Greenpeace have criticized Bains for accepting money from the oil and gas industry. Past campaigns in the district have brought in massive amounts of money, much of it from donors outside the district. According to the Federal Elections Commission, in the 2024 race Valadao's campaign raised nearly $5 million while Democratic challenger Rudy Salas raised $6.5 million. Salas, himself a former Assemblyman, twice lost to Valadao, in 2022 and 2024. He's filed paperwork with the FEC to run in 2026, but has not committed to doing so. Valadao's campaign did not immediately respond to request for comment Tuesday, but in an email, Republican National Congressional Committee spokesman Christian Martinez called Bains a radical. 'Radical Democrat Jasmeet Bains will never represent the values of the Central Valley with her extreme record that sells out hardworking California families,' Martinez said. 'She's more focused on handing out taxpayer-funded home loans, welfare and free health care to illegal immigrants than defending the very Californians footing the bill. Californians deserve better than a radical activist masquerading as their representative.' Whether or not Bains is elected to Congress, running for the 22nd District means she won't be able to run for the 35th Assembly District, leaving a vacancy in that seat for the 2026 election. California's primary election isn't until June 2026, but only the two top vote-getting candidates in that race will move on to the general election. Whether or not she's elected to Congress, Bains said she is first and foremost a doctor. 'This is a doctor taking her oath to the highest level. I never signed up for this job in the Assembly to be a career politician. I am staying true to who I said I was from day one,' Bains said. 'This is about a doctor taking her oath to protect her community.'
The Hill
16-06-2025
- Health
- The Hill
New ad highlights harms of Medicaid cuts
The Big Story A new ad and accompanying report from the Democrat-aligned advocacy group Protect Our Care, shared first with The Hill, calls attention to the negative impact the House-passed tax bill could have on hospitals. Greg Nash The Medicaid cuts in legislation will mean the loss of critical funding for hospitals, which the group said would 'bury hospitals under the burden of uncompensated care, and force hundreds of hospitals to close their doors.' 'Donald Trump's so-called big beautiful bill would enact the largest cut to Medicaid in history, slashing over $400 billion from our hospitals and putting care for everyone at risk,' the ad states. 'The ambulance may come, but it won't matter if they have nowhere to take you.' The ad and report are part of the group's broader $10 million 'Hands Off Medicaid' campaign and mark the start of an advocacy week focused exclusively on the impact to hospitals. The House-passed legislation cuts billions from Medicaid. Rural hospitals would be hardest hit, as they rely heavily on Medicaid to serve a population that tends to be poorer and sicker than average. Protect Our Care noted that more than 330 hospitals could be forced to close or scale back their services. The group's effort comes as Senate Republicans gear up to debate their version of the bill. Text released by the Senate Finance Committee late Monday would put harsh restrictions on Medicaid provider taxes and state directed payments, both of which are tactics states use to boost Medicaid funding to providers. Welcome to The Hill's Health Care newsletter, we're Nathaniel Weixel, Joseph Choi and Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: Judge orders many NIH grants restored, calling cancellation unlawful A federal judge on Monday ruled that the Trump administration's canceling of federal health grants over their connections to 'gender ideology' and 'diversity, equity, and inclusion' was unlawful and void. U.S. District Court Judge William Young, a Reagan appointee, ruled on Monday that targeting research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) based on certain topics was unlawful and … Senate releases Trump tax and Medicaid blueprint Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) on Monday released the Senate's long-awaited version of President Trump's tax agenda, which would make the 2017 corporate tax cuts permanent, cut hundreds of billions of dollars in Medicaid spending and phase out renewable-energy tax cuts enacted under President Biden. The legislative text crafted by Senate Finance Committee Republicans represents the core of Trump's 'big, … White House denies reporting by Guardian on VA benefits: 'Totally FALSE story' The Trump administration on Monday denied reporting by The Guardian that said new Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals could refuse care to veterans based on factors like marital status and political affiliation due to an executive order by President Trump. The Guardian earlier Monday published a report saying VA hospitals are implementing new rules in response to Trump's executive order in January, which would … In Other News Branch out with a different read from The Hill: Agencies they can't enforce anti-trans bias policies against Catholic groups: Judge BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Two federal agencies cannot punish Catholic employers and health care providers if they refuse for religious reasons to provide gender-affirming care to transgender patients or won't provide health insurance coverage for such care to their workers, a federal judge ruled Thursday. The ruling from U.S. District … Around the Nation Local and state headlines on health care: What We're Reading Health news we've flagged from other outlets: What Others are Reading Most read stories on The Hill right now: 5 takeaways from Trump's Army parade The nation's capital on Saturday was overtaken by the sight of tanks rolling down the street and Army helicopters buzzing in the sky for a military … Read more Klobuchar condemns Mike Lee's posts about Minnesota suspect: 'This isn't funny' Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) on Monday condemned social media posts from her colleague Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) spreading unfounded claims about the … Read more What People Think Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill: Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - More anti-Trump protests? The left just can't help itself.
Brace yourselves, Americans! Tomorrow we will see widespread leftist protests show their 'resistance,' gathering in what they are calling a 'No Kings Nationwide Day of Defiance' in cities across the land. Are they protesting high inflation? No, the rate of inflation is the lowest in four years. Are they objecting to rising unemployment? No, unemployment is holding steady at low levels. Are they squawking about people flooding across our border illegally and driving wages lower? Not at all; President Trump has drastically reduced illegal immigration. Thanks to solid hiring, wages are growing faster than inflation, so real income is up. Are they protesting the failures of so many of our schools to educate our children – and especially minority children? Hardly; Randi Weingarten, head of the American Federation of Teachers, is one of the organizers of the protests. She will not draw attention to schools that are graduating illiterate students. Since those are among the principal concerns of most Americans, what is it they are protesting? First, they are protesting the Trump administration's efforts to deport criminals who are in the U.S. illegally, even though, according to Pew, the vast majority of the country is in favor of booting convicted murderers and child rapists — exactly what Immigration and Customs Enforcement was doing in Los Angeles. It is curious that these groups were mostly mute when Barack Obama, aka the 'Deporter in Chief,' tossed 3 million people out of the country. Second, they are angry that Trump is cutting wasteful and fraudulent federal spending. The country's debt exploded under Joe Biden, but Democrats are objecting to the efforts of the Department of Government Efficiency to root out waste and fraud — even though Biden's own administration estimated the total lost to scams and ineptitude at up to half a trillion dollars every year. They hate DOGE for cutting liberal spending, like the money being squandered on a regular basis at USAID. Sure, there were some worthwhile programs being funded by that department, but there were also too many examples of money being shipped to Democrat-aligned groups that almost certainly ended up in leftist campaign coffers. Elon Musk called such NGOs the 'biggest scam' going, and accused such groups of money-laundering. Third, the protesters are determined to distract from a military parade planned for tomorrow in our nation's capital. They claim the festivities are meant to celebrate Trump — what one of the groups describes as 'Herr Trump's birthday' — but the parade was organized to commemorate the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army. Planning for the celebration has been underway for two years — since before Trump was reelected. The parade portion has only recently been added. Despite this fact, that same group said outright: 'A major goal here is to upstage Trump's self-coronation event by grabbing more of the attention.' Are the furious hordes unhappy with Trump's foreign policy? Many progressives have aligned with Hamas against the administration's support of Israel. In addition, Trump is trying to peacefully force Iran to give up its nuclear arms effort. Biden not only failed to make progress on that front, he gave the mullahs access to tens of billions of dollars, allowing them to beef up terror groups like Hamas and the Houthis. This indirectly helped to fund the heinous attacks on Israel and on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and the U.S. Navy, respectively. Groups putting together this 'No Kings Day' claim they are fighting the Trump administration's 'authoritarianism,' by which they really mean reversal of unpopular policies that have brought the Democratic Party to all-time low favorability ratings. DEI, biological men in women's sports, taxpayer funding of biased news organizations, antisemitism on college campuses, cancel culture, mandates as to what kind of car you can drive or how much water your dishwasher can use — Americans are fed up with what should be called 'progressive authoritarianism.' They elected a president who vowed to change the country's course. He is doing it, and they hate it. Trump is a strong leader and not easily cowed by the liberal media; that does not constitute a threat to democracy. In reality, the left is having a hissy fit that they can no longer run roughshod over the will of U.S. voters, a majority of whom elected Trump. 'We have the idea that the power of the government derives from the people, not from one man and not from one party' says Weingarten. Yes, that's the point of elections. Get over it. Liz Peek is a former partner of major bracket Wall Street firm Wertheim and Company. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
13-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
More anti-Trump protests? The left just can't help itself.
Brace yourselves, Americans! Tomorrow we will see widespread leftist protests show their 'resistance,' gathering in what they are calling a 'No Kings Nationwide Day of Defiance' in cities across the land. Are they protesting high inflation? No, the rate of inflation is the lowest in four years. Are they objecting to rising unemployment? No, unemployment is holding steady at low levels. Are they squawking about people flooding across our border illegally and driving wages lower? Not at all; President Trump has drastically reduced illegal immigration. Thanks to solid hiring, wages are growing faster than inflation, so real income is up. Are they protesting the failures of so many of our schools to educate our children – and especially minority children? Hardly; Randi Weingarten, head of the American Federation of Teachers, is one of the organizers of the protests. She will not draw attention to schools that are graduating illiterate students. Since those are among the principal concerns of most Americans, what is it they are protesting? First, they are protesting the Trump administration's efforts to deport criminals who are in the U.S. illegally, even though, according to Pew, the vast majority of the country is in favor of booting convicted murderers and child rapists — exactly what Immigration and Customs Enforcement was doing in Los Angeles. It is curious that these groups were mostly mute when Barack Obama, aka the 'Deporter in Chief,' tossed 3 million people out of the country. Second, they are angry that Trump is cutting wasteful and fraudulent federal spending. The country's debt exploded under Joe Biden, but Democrats are objecting to the efforts of the Department of Government Efficiency to root out waste and fraud — even though Biden's own administration estimated the total lost to scams and ineptitude at up to half a trillion dollars every year. They hate DOGE for cutting liberal spending, like the money being squandered on a regular basis at USAID. Sure, there were some worthwhile programs being funded by that department, but there were also too many examples of money being shipped to Democrat-aligned groups that almost certainly ended up in leftist campaign coffers. Elon Musk called such NGOs the 'biggest scam' going, and accused such groups of money-laundering. Third, the protesters are determined to distract from a military parade planned for tomorrow in our nation's capital. They claim the festivities are meant to celebrate Trump — what one of the groups describes as 'Herr Trump's birthday' — but the parade was organized to commemorate the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army. Planning for the celebration has been underway for two years — since before Trump was reelected. The parade portion has only recently been added. Despite this fact, that same group said outright: 'A major goal here is to upstage Trump's self-coronation event by grabbing more of the attention.' Are the furious hordes unhappy with Trump's foreign policy? Many progressives have aligned with Hamas against the administration's support of Israel. In addition, Trump is trying to peacefully force Iran to give up its nuclear arms effort. Biden not only failed to make progress on that front, he gave the mullahs access to tens of billions of dollars, allowing them to beef up terror groups like Hamas and the Houthis. This indirectly helped to fund the heinous attacks on Israel and on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and the U.S. Navy, respectively. Groups putting together this 'No Kings Day' claim they are fighting the Trump administration's 'authoritarianism,' by which they really mean reversal of unpopular policies that have brought the Democratic Party to all-time low favorability ratings. DEI, biological men in women's sports, taxpayer funding of biased news organizations, antisemitism on college campuses, cancel culture, mandates as to what kind of car you can drive or how much water your dishwasher can use — Americans are fed up with what should be called 'progressive authoritarianism.' They elected a president who vowed to change the country's course. He is doing it, and they hate it. Trump is a strong leader and not easily cowed by the liberal media; that does not constitute a threat to democracy. In reality, the left is having a hissy fit that they can no longer run roughshod over the will of U.S. voters, a majority of whom elected Trump. 'We have the idea that the power of the government derives from the people, not from one man and not from one party' says Weingarten. Yes, that's the point of elections. Get over it. Liz Peek is a former partner of major bracket Wall Street firm Wertheim and Company.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Soros-Funded Democrats Target Texas With New Multimillion-Dollar Campaign
(Texas Scorecard) – A Democrat-aligned political group backed by billionaire George Soros is once again setting its sights on Texas, aiming to flip the reliably red state with a new multimillion-dollar campaign. According to a Wall Street Journal report, Texas Majority PAC—bankrolled heavily by Soros—has launched a new initiative dubbed 'Blue Texas,' partnering with the Texas Democratic Party and several county parties to organize volunteers, recruit candidates, and boost voter turnout ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Campaign finance records show Soros gave $2.1 million to Texas Majority PAC in 2024 and another $1 million in April. The move marks the latest in a long line of efforts by Democrats to make inroads in Texas, a state Republicans have dominated for decades. Despite shifting demographics and repeated national predictions of a 'blue wave,' Democrats haven't won a single statewide race in Texas since 1994. Soros and his political allies tried a similar approach in the last election cycle—pouring millions into Texas Majority PAC in an attempt to build a Democrat ground game—but came up short. In 2024, Republicans not only held their ground but made gains in both the Texas House and Senate. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, won 12 of the state's 14 border counties and defeated Kamala Harris by nearly 14 percentage points. The Texas Majority PAC, which describes its mission as growing the Democrat majority and winning statewide elections, is hoping for a different result this time. Organizers say they'll hold rallies across the state in June and visit more than two dozen cities in July to recruit candidates. Their long-term goal is to make Texas a competitive battleground state by 2032, when a new round of redistricting could further increase the state's electoral significance. 'If a win is on the table in 2026, we don't want to leave it there by not being organized,' Katherine Fischer, deputy executive director of Texas Majority PAC, told WSJ. But past efforts like Battleground Texas—formed over a decade ago with similar ambitions—have largely failed. Republicans have continued to control every statewide office. Republican Party of Texas Chairman Abraham George dismissed the latest push, telling Texas Scorecard, 'They can spend all the money in the world. Texas is deep red, and the areas that are blueish now will be flipped by our grassroots efforts. We are working with all of our statewide and local candidates to bring another Red Wave to Texas, even bigger than 2024.'
