House Democrats decry health cuts in GOP tax law during town hall that previews midterms messaging

NEW ORLEANS — Democrats used a Louisiana town hall Thursday night to preview one of their main strategies for attempting to retake the U.S. House next year, ripping into the health care changes in the just-passed Republican tax and spending bill.

The top House Democrat, Hakeem Jeffries, said the event in the home state of House Speaker Mike Johnson was the first stop on a nationwide tour to educate voters about the bill, which he called ''an all-out assault against the American people.'' He also noted that Republicans had promised not to touch Medicaid, the government health insurance program for lower-income Americans.

''And during the first chance they got, they do the exact opposite,'' Jeffries told a crowd of several hundred at Xavier University in New Orleans. ''Shame on them.''

The gathering of some of the top House Democrats comes at a crucial time for the party. It is seeking a pathway back to power in Washington but is grappling for a message that will resonate with the working class voters who have migrated toward Republicans in recent elections.

Democratic leaders believe the bill, which President Donald Trump signed into law on the Fourth of July, will sway voters ahead of the 2026 midterms, when Democrats look to win control of the House and break the hold Republicans have on the levers of power in Washington.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida said Thursday's event was ''step one'' in Democrats' strategy to ''make sure people are aware of what they're losing and who took it away from them.''

But another congresswoman laid bare one of their challenges. Rep. Robin Kelly of Illinois said as she has been meeting with constituents, it's become clear that most of them don't know what's in the bill or how it might affect them.

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 that include 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 Congressional Budget Office estimates 11.8 million adults and children are at risk of losing their health insurance under the bill, 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.

''All so Republicans can give trillions of dollars in tax breaks to billionaires and the biggest corporations,'' said Democratic Rep. Troy Carter, who represents much of New Orleans. ''It is, in fact, reverse Robinhood -- stealing from the poor to give to the rich.''

Democrats chose Louisiana as the site of their town hall to highlight the impact of those cuts. It's the home state of Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.

Louisiana is among the states expected to lose one-fifth of its Medicaid budget over the next decade as a result of the bill. An estimated 1.5 million people in the state 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, the foundation found that some 38% of the residents are enrolled in Medicaid.

Most of the health care changes in the bill, including the new Medicaid work requirements on certain adults, will not begin until after next year's elections, though a number of providers are already beginning to prepare for potential cutbacks.

Carter said 33 rural hospitals in the state are at risk of closing.

Dr. Takeisha Davis, chief executive of New Orleans East Hospital, said she was concerned about how health care cuts will affect patients and the public hospital's operations. It serves about 300,000 patients a year, roughly 60% of whom are on Medicaid.

Davis was blunt in her assessment of the bill's potential impact, saying loss of health care would ''cause more preventable deaths in our area."

CJ Marbley, the hospital's chief nursing officer, told the Democrats that the majority of maternal births in Louisiana are covered by Medicaid.

''Any reduction in this critical program has a potential loss of life for the infant and mother,'' he said, while noting that Black women are four times more likely than white women to die from complications during pregnancy.

Johnson and Scalise stood with Trump at the White House when he signed the bill last week and insist the measure will boost the U.S. economy, strengthen the borders and ensure that millions of Americans won't see a tax increase.

Johnson's office did not respond to requests for comment, but he has been promoting the bill on social media and previously said that with it, ''We are going to make this country stronger, safer and more prosperous than ever before.''

Ahead of the town hall, Scalise said Democrats who opposed the bill will have to explain to the people of Louisiana why they voted against tax breaks on tips and overtime and extending Trump's tax cuts, as well as other provisions he says will help the state.

''Louisianans 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,' and the hard-working families of our state will benefit tremendously from it,'' Scalise said in a statement.

Some town hall attendees wondered if Thursday's event might have been more effective if it had been held somewhere other than the Democratic stronghold of New Orleans, such as in Johnson's or Scalise's districts.

''We all believe in these guys -- they need to find the people who don't believe,'' said New Orleans resident Patricia Owen-McGill, a 74-year-old Democrat.

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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.