Dear neighbor,

My colleagues and I have been hearing the same thing from folks across the country: DON’T cut Medicaid. But not everyone has gotten the memo. Speaker Mike Johnson and his Republican conference won’t stand up to protect Medicaid (also known as Medi-Cal in California). In fact, one of the main House committees responsible for making cuts tried to jam through their harmful agenda at 3 AM this week.

Republicans are working in the dark of night because they know what they’re doing will make America sicker, hungrier, and poorer – all in service of giving tax breaks to the top 1%.

If these cuts go through, they’re going to close hospitals, hurt nursing home patients, and increase health care costs for everyone. Democrats have been consistent on this – we will not support cuts to Medicaid.

Meanwhile, President Trump is trying to justify accepting what is effectively a bribe from a foreign country. There is no such thing as a free lunch, and there is no such thing as a free “palace in the sky.” Trump should unequivocally reject the $400 million airplane from Qatar. If he doesn’t, then Congress must exercise its authority to determine the appropriateness of this gift.

Trump and Republicans are clearly more concerned about benefiting themselves and billionaires than helping regular Americans. I will continue to call out these actions and push back in every way possible. We must keep fighting.

DEBRIS REMOVAL DEADLINES: Private property owners impacted by the fires who opted out or did not opt-in for the government-sponsored debris removal program, must obtain a fire debris removal permit and hire a licensed contractor by June 1, 2025. For more information and recovery resources, visit recovery.lacounty.gov.

OPPORTUNITIES FROM MY OFFICE: My office periodically offers a number of opportunities including our internship program, the Congressional App Challenge, service academy nominations, and Youth Advisory Council. Right now, my LA office is also accepting applications for an aide position that’s available to veterans, Gold Star family members, and Active-duty spouses.

If you need help with a federal agency, please feel free to contact my LA office at (323) 651-1040.

I look forward to updating you again soon. 

Warmly,

Ted