Dear John,

For thousands of our friends and neighbors here in the Inland Empire, Medicaid, or Medi-Cal as we call it here in California, isn’t just health insurance—it’s a lifeline. For people with disabilities, for those recovering from addiction and for thousands of families across our community, it means access to the care they need to live healthy, independent lives.

But because of cuts to Medicaid made by Trump’s One Big Ugly Law, funding for this care is being ripped away to pay for tax breaks for billionaires and wealthy corporations—and our most vulnerable neighbors will feel the cost.

More than 15 million Americans are expected to lose health insurance, including two million Californians on Medi-Cal. Here in the Inland Empire, the consequences will be especially severe for people with disabilities and those receiving addiction treatment.

That’s why I recently visited Rolling Start, an organization in San Bernardino that supports people with disabilities. I heard directly from people in our community about how these cuts will mean losing access to critical services like housing assistance, counseling and independent living support.

Cuts to Medi-Cal mean organizations like Rolling Start won’t have the funding they need to provide critical support to people in our community. This means people with disabilities could be forced to choose between going without care or losing their independence.

I also worked with the Veterans Alcoholic Rehabilitation Program (VARP) in San Bernardino to highlight the danger cuts to Medi-Cal pose to people fighting addiction. Without affordable, accessible addiction treatment, more lives will be put at risk and more families torn apart.

I will continue to fight back against these cuts to Medi-Cal and do everything in my power to ensure that people in the Inland Empire can access the life-saving, affordable health care that they need.

Thanks,