California activists fast to protest federal budget cuts to health care

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Alameda, CA (Prism)

Hundreds of activists committed to 12-hour fasts to protest the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," which passed the U.S. House of Representatives on May 22 and now awaits a Senate vote

In the face of looming federal budget cuts, activists across California launched a statewide solidarity fast from May 19 to May 23 to protest the proposed slashing of critical social services, including health care and food assistance. But the protest couldn't stop the GOP's "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," which passed the U.S. House of Representatives 215-214 on May 22. Tipped over by one vote, the bill now advances to the Senate.

On May 20, the movement spread to Republican Rep. David Valadao's district, where eight more demonstrators joined the fast, including 95-year-old labor icon Dolores Huerta. By May 21, more than 300 Californians had committed to fasting from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in solidarity, rallying under the message: "Don't Starve California."

Valadao, who represents the district with the highest proportion of Medicaid enrollees of any Republican in the country, and fellow California Republican Rep. Young Kim, ultimately voted in favor of the bill.

Support from the Congress members, who had previously said they would reject Medicaid cuts, pushed forward the bill that the Congressional Budget Office says would slash $700 billion from Medicaid. The proposed federal budget reconciliation bill would include, among other provisions, reduced reimbursements to hospitals, tighter state subsidies, and new work requirements for able-bodied adults without children. The bill also includes sweeping changes to tax policy, immigration, the military, education, and energy -- such as expanded tax cuts, defunding Planned Parenthood, funding for border enforcement and a missile defense shield, stricter student loan repayment rules, a tax on university endowments, and expanded fossil fuel extraction on public lands.

"BBB does not bring down the deficit ... it adds to it," Audrey Chavez, a small business owner and longtime community advocate who participated in the protest, told Prism in a text message. Chavez said the bill takes money from working-class taxpayers and hands it over to millionaires to keep them from paying their fair share. "Valadao broke a promise at the expense of sacred lives in his district."

Valadao did not respond to Prism's requests for comment.

In response to criticism about the bill cutting Medicaid, Kim said in an emailed statement, ""H.R. 1 makes life more affordable and strengthens Medicaid services for our most vulnerable Americans who the program was intended to serve. This bill does not cut vital Medicaid services, and my colleagues and I worked to make that happen. Able-bodied adults without dependents receiving Medicaid services can continue to receive benefits under this bill simply by verifying minimum monthly hours of working, volunteering, job training, or learning. Enough with the disingenuous hysteria coming from Washington Democrats."

But protesters involved in the fast disagreed. Among them was Bulmaro Vicente, a longtime community organizer and political director at Chispa, a Latinx advocacy organization based in Orange County. Vicente fasted alongside dozens of faith leaders, advocates, and residents to draw attention to what he called "a matter of life and death."

"This is something that's very personal for me, I come from a working-class family," Vicente told Prism. "My mom is a house cleaner, my sister works at Disney, and so I've seen firsthand how they struggle to have access to health care and also have a living wage. I've seen them work so hard, and it's very senseless for their rights, for survival, to be threatened this way."

Protesters, coordinated through the grassroots coalition We Are California, said Valadao and Kim's votes went against their prior public comments.

In February, Valadao stated he would not support a reconciliation bill that left Medicaid recipients behind. Around the same time, Kim posted a statement to her website pledging that she would not vote for a budget that "does not protect vital Medicaid services for the most vulnerable."

"We're all suffering because we are not taxing the wealthy. We can fund everything this country needs if we tax billionaires out of existence," Jorge Hernandez, who fasted for 24 hours and attended the protest in Bakersfield, said in a statement provided by the Don't Starve California campaign. "If we don't stand up and oppose these politicians, nothing is going to change."

Days before the vote, activists performed a sit-in at Kim's office, chanting and occupying the space without incident, calling for Kim to uphold her prior statements, according to video of the protest shared with Prism.

Vicente, who ran for California State Assembly in 2022, described the action as deeply personal.

"We are the bedrock of our local economies," Vicente said, joined by health care workers, teachers, and small business owners, among others. "We're the ones that power our economy and our communities."

In the week leading up to the House vote, Californians across the state, including in Bakersfield, San Francisco, and the Bay Area, attended daily rallies and vigils, while others participated in solidarity actions online.

Among those on the ground in Bakersfield was Chavez, who said the stakes couldn't be higher.

"These are monies that are benefits that we pay for with our tax dollars, and we work very, very hard for them, and these are things that are needed to be able to assist working families or people that are affected by by crisis in their lives that serve as a lifeline," Chavez said in an interview. "It's enraging to see representatives like Valadao vote to strip them away while pretending to care about working families."

Chavez and her husband run a mom-and-pop deli in Bakersfield. Like many small business owners, they often fall into a coverage gap -- earning too much for certain benefits but not enough to afford comprehensive health care. "Sometimes people assume owning a business means you're financially secure," she said. "But one bad month, one illness, and you're choosing between health care and keeping your doors open."

She joined the fast on May 20 and was present for a mock funeral organized by the Dolores Huerta Foundation, a haunting reminder of what's at stake if the proposed cuts are implemented.

"We heard stories of people who rely on in-home care, on Medi-Cal, on SNAP -- people who will literally lose their lives if these programs disappear," Chavez said. "It's disheartening. When they want our votes, they're at our doors with glossy mailers full of promises. But when it comes time to stand up for us, they're nowhere to be found."

California has long been seen as a liberal bastion, but even here, the trickle-down effects of federal budget decisions are being felt. Santa Clara County recently lost more than $85 million in federal public health grants. Gov. Gavin Newsom, citing a $16 billion deficit dubbed the "Trump slump," has proposed pausing enrollment for undocumented immigrants in California's public health insurance program, Medi-Cal.

"I think it's very immoral for politicians like Young Kim to steal the benefits we pay for with our tax dollars to give tax breaks and handouts to billionaires who don't need it. It's very scary to see the impact that this will have on our communities," Vicente said. "This is just the beginning of numerous proposed cuts that are going to be given to our communities. And I think people are going to be seeing the impact of these cuts."

For Vicente, the fast was part of a broader effort to hold elected officials accountable and resist the influence of corporate interests in policy-making. At Chispa, he's worked on local and federal campaigns, including helping to flip California's 45th Congressional District's House seat to a Democrat in the last election cycle.

"The reason I ran for State Assembly was to challenge corporate interests and billionaires. My campaign was really grounded in community and representing and putting working-class people first," he said of his 2022 campaign. "I've seen the impact my campaign has had even though I did not win. People have been motivated to run for office. People have been motivated to become engaged, and people are now interested in fighting back, and I think that's what the beauty of campaigns are, is that despite win or lose, it does create a community, and it does create hope and an inspiration for people to stand up to these interests."

Despite the physical toll of fasting -- "My body is tired," Vicente admitted -- the experience has deepened his resolve. "Hunger strikes have been going on for decades," he said, reminded of what's truly at stake.

For Chavez, the fast has also been a spiritual experience -- a way to channel grief into purpose as a Senate vote for the bill looms.

"We're looking for hearts to turn," Chavez said. "We're looking for our leaders to recognize the fact that you're representing our area, and whether we are people of faith, or we're looking at the golden rule, or we're looking at people who are working hard and contributing to their society, that there is an importance to do good, there is an importance to care about others, and that is not happening."

"This budget is offensive," Chavez continued. "It is un-American, and it threatens our ability to live."

Vicente urged anyone looking to fight back against the bill to join We Are California and find local opportunities for engagement. "This is a critical moment to not just build political power, but also help form this narrative that working-class families are not backing down and are fighting back."

This story is provided as a service of the Institute for Nonprofit News’ On the Ground news wire. The Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) is a network of more than 475 independent, nonprofit newsrooms serving communities throughout the US, Canada, and globally. On the Ground is a service of INN, which aggregates the best of its members’ elections and political content, and provides it free for republication. Read more about INN here: https://inn.org/.

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