Rep. Aguilar spoke about the Republican shutdown and how health care cuts will harm people in the Inland Empire

Rep. Pete Aguilar (CA-33) and first-term California Representatives Laura Friedman (CA-30), Dave Min (CA-47), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Derek Tran (CA-45) and George Whitesides (CA-27) held a press call on how the Republican government shutdown and the health care crisis are impacting Californians across the state. You can watch a recording of the call here and read Rep. Aguilar’s opening remarks below:

Hello, I’m Pete Aguilar, Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, and I represent California’s 33rd Congressional District. I’m honored to be here with first-term Reps. Laura Friedman, Dave Min, Lateefah Simon, Derek Tran and George Whitesides. Each of these Members has done an amazing job representing their constituents here in Congress and I’m excited for you to hear directly from them. 

We’re here because this summer, Donald Trump led Congressional Republicans in passing the largest cut to health care in American history in order to give billionaires more tax breaks. As a result, Republicans’ Big Ugly Law has created a health care crisis on top of the affordability crisis that we know all too well that Californians and Americans are already facing. Instead of joining us to fix the mess they created, Republicans shut down the government and have been on vacation for over a month. I’ve been meeting with constituents, health care workers and patients throughout San Bernardino County to understand how these Republican cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and the Affordable Care Act are directly impacting them, and it’s absolutely devastating. 

One example was the San Bernardino Adult Day Health Care Center, which relies on federal funding to serve seniors and people with disabilities in the Inland Empire. Patients at this center call it their ‘lifeline’ and they rely on it for meals, rehabilitating injuries, social life and ultimately, allowing them to live with independence and dignity. If this center closes as a result of Republican health care cuts, these people will be out of luck—and they’re not alone. 2.3 million Californians on Medi-Cal will lose their health care and it will only get worse if Republicans fail to extend the ACA tax credits, which allow Californians to afford their health care. That’s why we’re doing everything in our power to negotiate a deal that reopens the federal government and saves health care. That’s what we’ve been fighting for and that’s what we’ve been asking House Republicans for.