Wasserman Schultz, House Democrats decry health cuts in GOP tax law during town hall in New Orleans
By Jack Brook | Associated Press
July 11, 2025 at 6:05 AM EDT
South Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz joined other top House Democrats at a Louisiana town hall Thursday night to preview one of the party’s strategies for attempting to retake the U.S. House next year, ripping into the health care changes in the just-passed Republican tax and spending bill.
Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, said Thursday's event was “step one” in Democrats' strategy to “make sure people are aware of what they’re losing and who took it away from them.”
As co-chair of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, she holds a top leadership role within the party.
She blasted President Trump’s tax and spending law — what he called the “Big, Beautiful Bill" — saying it strips health care coverage from 17 million Americans, including almost 2 million in Florida and 90,000 in her congressional district that includes much of Broward County.
“It will force people into that horrible decision,” she said. “Do I pay a big doctor bill to see a doctor now? Or do I wait and pay an even bigger bill in an emergency room later? And for many, that won't even be a choice, now that the big ugly bill is law, because they won't be able to pay.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5VLWdnXJY4
She said the bill pushed by Trump and approved by Republicans, who control the House and Senate, cuts food assistance funds “from millions of kids, seniors, and veterans just to pay for their tax scam.”
She called it a scam because Americans earning $50,000 or less will see their tax bills reduced by $247, while the wealthiest of Americans — those representing less than 1% of the country — will see an average benefit of more than $300,000.
“That is obscene,” said Wasserman Schultz.
“This [law] makes life less affordable and more painful,” she said. :When history looks back on this bill, its legacy will be Trump lied and people died.”
The top House Democrat, Hakeem Jeffries, said the event in the home state of House Speaker Mike Johnson was the first stop on a nationwide tour to educate voters about the bill, which he called “an all-out assault against the American people.” He also noted that Republicans had promised not to touch Medicaid, the government health insurance program for lower-income Americans.
“And during the first chance they got, they do the exact opposite,” Jeffries told a crowd of several hundred at Xavier University in New Orleans. “Shame on them.”
The gathering of some of the top House Democrats comes at a crucial time for the party. It is seeking a pathway back to power in Washington but is grappling for a message that will resonate with the working-class voters who have migrated toward Republicans in recent elections.
Democratic leaders believe the bill, which President Donald Trump signed into law on the Fourth of July, will sway voters ahead of the 2026 midterms, when Democrats look to win control of the House and break the hold Republicans have on the levers of power in Washington.
The measure includes about $4.5 trillion in tax breaks by extending cuts made during Trump’s first term, mostly benefiting the wealthiest Americans, and adding new ones that include no taxes on tips. It also slashes clean energy tax credits and unleashes hundreds of billions of dollars for Trump’s national security agenda, including for border patrol and deportations.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates 11.8 million adults and children are at risk of losing their health insurance under the bill, which over time will make it harder to enroll in federal health care programs, including Medicaid and others created by President Barack Obama’sAffordable Care Act. Additionally, it estimated 3 million Americans will no longer qualify for food stamps, also known as SNAP benefits.
The legislation reduces federal Medicaid spending by $1 trillion.
Democrats chose Louisiana as the site of their town hall to highlight the impact of those cuts. It’s the home state of Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
Johnson’s office did not respond to requests for comment, but he has been promoting the bill on social media and previously said that with it, “We are going to make this country stronger, safer and more prosperous than ever before.”
Ahead of the town hall, Scalise said Democrats who opposed the bill will have to explain to the people of Louisiana why they voted against tax breaks on tips and overtime and extending Trump’s tax cuts, as well as other provisions he says will help the state.
“Louisianans voted overwhelmingly to put President Donald Trump back in the White House and give Republicans majorities in the House and Senate to implement the America First agenda, which is exactly what we did with the passage of the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill,’ and the hard-working families of our state will benefit tremendously from it,” Scalise said in a statement.
Some town hall attendees wondered if Thursday's event might have been more effective if it had been held somewhere other than the Democratic stronghold of New Orleans, such as in Johnson's or Scalise's districts.
“We all believe in these guys — they need to find the people who don’t believe,” said New Orleans resident Patricia Owen-McGill, a 74-year-old Democrat.
Associated Press Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed to this report.
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Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, said Thursday's event was “step one” in Democrats' strategy to “make sure people are aware of what they’re losing and who took it away from them.”
As co-chair of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, she holds a top leadership role within the party.
She blasted President Trump’s tax and spending law — what he called the “Big, Beautiful Bill" — saying it strips health care coverage from 17 million Americans, including almost 2 million in Florida and 90,000 in her congressional district that includes much of Broward County.
“It will force people into that horrible decision,” she said. “Do I pay a big doctor bill to see a doctor now? Or do I wait and pay an even bigger bill in an emergency room later? And for many, that won't even be a choice, now that the big ugly bill is law, because they won't be able to pay.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5VLWdnXJY4
She said the bill pushed by Trump and approved by Republicans, who control the House and Senate, cuts food assistance funds “from millions of kids, seniors, and veterans just to pay for their tax scam.”
She called it a scam because Americans earning $50,000 or less will see their tax bills reduced by $247, while the wealthiest of Americans — those representing less than 1% of the country — will see an average benefit of more than $300,000.
“That is obscene,” said Wasserman Schultz.
“This [law] makes life less affordable and more painful,” she said. :When history looks back on this bill, its legacy will be Trump lied and people died.”
The top House Democrat, Hakeem Jeffries, said the event in the home state of House Speaker Mike Johnson was the first stop on a nationwide tour to educate voters about the bill, which he called “an all-out assault against the American people.” He also noted that Republicans had promised not to touch Medicaid, the government health insurance program for lower-income Americans.
“And during the first chance they got, they do the exact opposite,” Jeffries told a crowd of several hundred at Xavier University in New Orleans. “Shame on them.”
The gathering of some of the top House Democrats comes at a crucial time for the party. It is seeking a pathway back to power in Washington but is grappling for a message that will resonate with the working-class voters who have migrated toward Republicans in recent elections.
Democratic leaders believe the bill, which President Donald Trump signed into law on the Fourth of July, will sway voters ahead of the 2026 midterms, when Democrats look to win control of the House and break the hold Republicans have on the levers of power in Washington.
The measure includes about $4.5 trillion in tax breaks by extending cuts made during Trump’s first term, mostly benefiting the wealthiest Americans, and adding new ones that include no taxes on tips. It also slashes clean energy tax credits and unleashes hundreds of billions of dollars for Trump’s national security agenda, including for border patrol and deportations.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates 11.8 million adults and children are at risk of losing their health insurance under the bill, which over time will make it harder to enroll in federal health care programs, including Medicaid and others created by President Barack Obama’sAffordable Care Act. Additionally, it estimated 3 million Americans will no longer qualify for food stamps, also known as SNAP benefits.
The legislation reduces federal Medicaid spending by $1 trillion.
Democrats chose Louisiana as the site of their town hall to highlight the impact of those cuts. It’s the home state of Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
Johnson’s office did not respond to requests for comment, but he has been promoting the bill on social media and previously said that with it, “We are going to make this country stronger, safer and more prosperous than ever before.”
Ahead of the town hall, Scalise said Democrats who opposed the bill will have to explain to the people of Louisiana why they voted against tax breaks on tips and overtime and extending Trump’s tax cuts, as well as other provisions he says will help the state.
“Louisianans voted overwhelmingly to put President Donald Trump back in the White House and give Republicans majorities in the House and Senate to implement the America First agenda, which is exactly what we did with the passage of the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill,’ and the hard-working families of our state will benefit tremendously from it,” Scalise said in a statement.
Some town hall attendees wondered if Thursday's event might have been more effective if it had been held somewhere other than the Democratic stronghold of New Orleans, such as in Johnson's or Scalise's districts.
“We all believe in these guys — they need to find the people who don’t believe,” said New Orleans resident Patricia Owen-McGill, a 74-year-old Democrat.
Associated Press Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed to this report.
___
Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.