Rancho Mirage, CA—Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries joined Rep. Raul Ruiz (CA-25), Steering and Policy Co-Chair Rep. Nanette Barragán (CA-44) and Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03) for a Steering and Policy Committee Town Hall to share updates on how House Democrats are standing up for the American people and to hear from local residents on the issues most important to them.

LEADER JEFFRIES: These are very challenging times. This administration is completely and totally out of control. They promised—they promised to lower the high cost of living. Costs aren’t going down, they’re going up. Inflation is going up. They’re crashing the economy in real time and driving us toward a recession. The economy is under assault, Social Security is under assault, healthcare is under assault, the American way of life is under assault, democracy itself is under assault, which is why we’ve been taking these town hall meetings on the road. We’ll continue to do it in Democratic districts and Republican districts across America. They’re going to run away from you, we’re running towards you.

Because we recognized—last observation, and then I look forward to our conversations—Congress is a separate and co-equal branch of government. A separate and a co-equal branch of government. We don’t work for this president. We don’t work for any president. We don’t work for Donald Trump. We don’t work for Elon Musk. We don’t work for far-right extremists. We work for you, the American people. The American people. And that is why—that is why we’re committed to doing everything we can at this moment to stop the Republicans from trying to jam this reckless, extreme budget down the throats of the American people, which includes the largest proposed cut to Medicaid in American history. It will hurt children and families and seniors and women and older Americans and everyday Americans with disabilities. Hospitals will close, nursing homes could shut down and, in fact, people could die. This is a matter of life and death.

And when we talk about this budget, we’re going to be very clear with the American people as to what it represents. It’s unacceptable, it’s unconscionable and it’s un-American. And we’re going to do everything we can to stop this budget in its tracks, bury it in the ground and make sure it never rises again—on your behalf, the people’s behalf.

Full town hall meeting can be watched here.

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