Home Budget, Economy “At Donald Trump’s command, voted to pass a cruel, billionaire-first budget...

“At Donald Trump’s command, [all five Virginia Republican Congress members] voted to pass a cruel, billionaire-first budget that will devastate Virginia’s working families”

"Let’s be clear: this is a betrayal....Virginians will remember this vote"

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lowkell
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From DPVA – this should be the end of all of these #$%^s’ political careers…but unfortunately it won’t, in at least some of their cases.

All Five Virginia House Republicans Vote To Gut Health Care and Food Assistance To Fund Tax Breaks For Billionaires

This morning, at Donald Trump’s command, all five Virginia Republican Congress members – Reps. Rob Wittman (VA-01), Jen Kiggans (VA-02), John McGuire (VA-05), Ben Cline (VA-06), and Morgan Griffith (VA-09) – passed Trump’s disastrous “billionaire’s first” budget to make Trump’s tax scam permanent by gutting Medicaid and ripping food assistance from working families.

DPVA Chairman Lamont Bagby shared the following statement:

“Today, every Republican member of Virginia’s congressional delegation turned their backs on the Virginians they were elected to serve. At Donald Trump’s command, they voted to pass a cruel, billionaire-first budget that will devastate Virginia’s working families — ripping health care away from more than 260,000 Virginians and slashing food assistance for thousands more — all to give tax handouts to the top 1%.

Let’s be clear: this is a betrayal. While families across the Commonwealth are working hard to make ends meet, Republicans in Congress chose to prioritize Trump and his billionaire backers over their constituents. Virginians will remember this vote — and the Democratic Party of Virginia will make sure they do when they go to the ballot box this November and in 2026.”

Facts about how this bill will impact Virginians:

According to the Senate Joint Economic (Minority) Committee:

  • A total of 262,000 Virginians are estimated to lose health insurance coverage if the Senate passes this bill.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation:

  • 1.5 million children and adults are enrolled in Virginia Medicaid
    • 37% are children
    • 17% live in a rural area
    • 15% have three or more chronic conditions
    • 70% of adults are working in Virginia

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:

  • 827,000 Virginia residents receive SNAP benefits
    • More than 67% of participants are in families with children
    • More than 33% are in families with members who are older adults or disabled
    • More than 36% are in working families
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Vindman Votes Against Big Bad Republican Bill That Cuts Health Care, Food Assistance, and Law Enforcement Funding in Dead-of-Night Vote

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Eugene Vindman (Va.-07) released the following statement after House Republicans forced through a cruel and reckless bill while hard working families were sleeping. In the middle of the night, Republicans rammed through cuts to health care, food assistance, and law enforcement funding while handing massive tax breaks to billionaires.

“I am outraged and disgusted. I cannot fathom how extreme Republicans can sleep soundly after rubber stamping the largest cuts to basic needs programs for healthcare
and hunger in my lifetime. Last night, one of the most callous, dangerous, and partisan bills passed with solely Republican support — and they did it while Americans were asleep, hoping no one would notice.

“With Trump’s tariffs already driving up food prices, Rubber Stamp Republicans are now making it even harder for families to put meals on the table and get the care they need. This bill slashes SNAP and Medicaid, the programs my constituents depend on every day.

“Let’s be clear: cutting SNAP means empty lunchboxes and dinner tables across America. It means taking food from over 18 million kids to bankroll tax breaks for billionaires like Elon Musk.

“If that wasn’t enough cruelty, cutting Medicaid will rip health care away from nearly 14 million Americans, including kids like Luka. Luka’s parents work full-time and have private insurance — but they rely on Medicaid for his 18 lifesaving medications. Without it, his family faces insurmountable health care costs, and he may not survive.

“And while Trump says he supports law enforcement, this bill tells the hard truth: over $1 billion cut from DOJ law enforcement efforts and more than $500 million slashed from the FBI — a blow to those working to keep our communities safe.

“This bill is a disaster. Kids, seniors, and veterans will go hungry. People will die. And the rich will get richer. I will oppose any partisan bill that sells out hard working Americans in the dead of night all while massively ballooning the national debt.”

DCCC Statement on House Passage of Wittman, Kiggans, and House Republicans’ Tax Scam

DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene released the following statement after Wittman, Kiggans, and House Republicans passed their tax scam that would put 874,000 Virginians at risk of losing their health care, risk food assistance for 337,930 households, and cut Medicare, all to pay for massive tax breaks for the wealthiest few:

“Rob Wittman, Jen Kiggans, and House Republicans have broken their promise to help the people they were elected to serve. Their vote to pass a singularly devastating piece of legislation that will hurt millions of working people, all to pay for hundreds of billions in tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy is the latest example of their complete abandonment of everyday Americans in favor of billionaires. By passing the largest cut to Medicaid in history, Wittman, Kiggans, and their fellow Republicans are ripping away health care from millions of Americans and levying a de facto hidden tax on working class families. Their cruel cuts to nutrition assistance will end up taking away food from millions of children at the dinner table and the school cafeteria. And in another example of Republicans’ broken promises, their bill would force billions in cuts to Medicare, harming seniors.

“Their budget sends a cruel, but clear message about what Republicans’ priorities are: massive benefits for the wealthy at the expense of everyone else.

“As Republicans forced this dangerous bill through the process, House Democrats fought to be a voice for the American people. It was House Democrats who worked to fight for policies to actually lower costs, expand access to quality care, and invest in the middle class, only to be rebuffed by House Republicans. America cannot afford the Republican tax scam. Now that these vulnerable Republicans are on the record voting for it, this betrayal of the American people will cost them their jobs in the midterms and Republicans the House Majority come 2026.”

Spanberger Statement on U.S. House Passing Reconciliation Bill

Spanberger: “This Moment Requires that We Respond with Serious Leadership and Serious Solutions, Not Attacks on the Ability of Hardworking Virginians to See a Doctor or Fill Their Prescription”

Under this Legislation, More than 250,000 Virginians Could Lose Access to Affordable Healthcare Coverage

RICHMOND, Va — Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger today released the following statement after U.S. House Republicans passed legislation that would jeopardize affordable healthcare coverage for more than 250,000 Virginians covered by Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act.

“Today, Republicans in Washington, D.C. voted to take away reliable healthcare coverage for hundreds of thousands of Virginians. But the risks to our Commonwealth go even further. If signed into law, this legislation would threaten the survival of Virginia’s rural hospitals, disrupt the ability of small businesses to provide coverage to their employees, and risk driving up healthcare premiums for working families.

“Our Commonwealth’s leaders should be standing firm against this legislation, and I thank Virginia’s Democratic Members of Congress for siding with their constituents and opposing this misguided package.

“Right now, Virginia families are already deeply concerned about high prices, the economic impacts of reckless tariffs, and uncertain global markets. This moment requires that we respond with serious leadership and serious solutions, not attacks on the ability of hardworking Virginians to see their doctor or fill their prescription.

“As the next Governor of Virginia, I will never be afraid to stand up to actions in Washington that hurt Virginians. And come January, my administration will be relentless in both defending the people of our Commonwealth and lowering healthcare and prescription drug costs for our fellow Virginians. That’s the leadership they deserve.”

STATEMENT OF U.S. SENS. MARK R. WARNER AND TIM KAINE

~  On the House GOP bill to gut Medicaid to pay for tax cuts for ultra-wealthy  ~ 

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (D-VA) issued the following statement after Republicans in the House of Representatives voted in the dead of night to approve legislation to cut taxes for the ultra-wealthy while slashing Medicaid and nutrition assistance, raising taxes on working families, and exploding the national debt:  

“This bill would do real harm to Virginia families, workers, and communities. It would raise taxes on working families and rip health care away from more than 262,000 people in Virginia in order to give tax breaks to Donald Trump and his billionaire friends. Virginians deserve better, and we will oppose this bill with everything we’ve got as it comes to the Senate. “ 

Warner and Kaine have been sounding the alarm about the effects of the GOP plan on Virginia if Republicans in Congress continue to insist on gutting vital programs in order to pay for tax breaks for the richest Americans, noting that the GOP bill would strip health insurance from more than 262,000 Virginians; rip nutrition assistance away from at least 204,000 Virginians, including children; raise energy costs for Virginia households; jeopardize more than 20,000 Virginia jobs; and raise taxes on minimum wage workers while giving the richest 0.1% a $188,000 tax cut.

Virginia House Democrats Condemn Midnight Republican Attack on Health Care and Working Families
CORRECTION: The previous version misstated the number of Virginians expected to lose healthcare due to Medicaid cuts. The correct number is over 262,000 according to the Joint Economic Committee

RICHMOND,VA—Today, the Virginia House Democratic Caucus released the following statement in response to the passage of Donald Trump and Republican’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” which will strip thousands of Virginians of their healthcare access while handing massive tax breaks to billionaires.

“Republicans may have passed this bill in the middle of the night, but Virginians won’t be in the dark about what it means: fewer people with health care, higher costs for working families, and devastating consequences for those who need care the most.

This so-called ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ is nothing more than a cruel attempt to punish people with paperwork and strip health care from over 262,000 Virginians—all while handing out tax breaks to billionaires. These aren’t just numbers. These are parents, children, seniors, and neighbors who will now face longer wait times, rising medical bills, and fewer places to turn.

Virginia House Democrats are proud to have passed Medicaid expansion in 2018, and we will not stand by while Trump and his allies try to dismantle the progress we’ve made. Health care is a right—not a luxury for the wealthy—and we’ll keep fighting to protect it.”
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