A new poll of Rep. David Valadao’s Central Valley, California congressional district (CA-22) finds that protecting health care is a decisive issue for voters There is an expected budget vote Tuesday where Valadao is seen as having to make a critical choice between healthcare for constituents over tax cuts for billionaires.
Key Takeaways:
- Two in three voters say the way Valadao votes on Medicaid cuts pushed by GOP leaders will affect how favorably they view him. Of these health care voters, 70% say they would view Valadao more favorably if he opposes the cuts.
- Overall, district voters oppose cuts to Medicaid (called Medi-Cal in California) by an 18-point margin, with 42% strongly opposed.
- 67% of voters, across party lines, view Medi-Cal favorably.
The support for Medi-Cal in Valadao’s district is hardly surprising considering that 2 in 3 of his constituents rely on Medi-Cal for their healthcare. A groundswell of concern over Medicaid cuts is rising in the district, with constituents packing a town hall last week to tell Valadao “hands off our health care!”
With a key vote coming early next week on a budget resolution that targets Medicaid for trillions in cuts, Valadao needs to answer some crucial questions:
- Are you going to let yourself get rolled by leadership again?
In 2017, Paul Ryan evidently convinced Valadao he could withstand the anger of his constituents whose health care he voted to take away. He was wrong. And now, Valadao’s constituents are already fired up to protect Medi-Cal, as evidenced by the hundreds who packed a town hall on Tuesday to demand he keep his “hands off our care!” (incidentally, Valadao and his staff refused to show up).
- Are you trying to have your cake and eat it too?
While Valadao has paraded his signature on a Hispanic Conference call for Speaker Johnson to avoid Medicaid cuts, he has refused to commit to a “no” vote for Johnson’s package – which requires a minimum of $880 billion to be cut by the committee overseeing Medicaid – saying he’s “seeking information” first. Does Rep. Valadao seriously think that if he commits to $880 billion in cuts that will not harm his constituents?
Healthcare worker Natalie Padilla said, “Tuesday’s budget vote will be defining for David Valadao, who represents a district where two in three kids rely on Medi-Cal, and where Kern Medical Center is at risk of shutting down if Congress cuts Medicaid to offer billionaires bigger tax cuts. When he was voted out in 2018, Valadao learned the hard way that it’s the voters in his district – not extremist Congressional leadership – who have the final word. With our healthcare on the line, Valadao has a clear choice: vote NO on cuts to protect life-saving care for hundreds of thousands of his constituents, or be forever tied to the billionaires trying to rip that health care away.”
The poll comes as a vote is expected Tuesday on the House Budget Resolution framework that will define the parameters of the fight to protect Medicaid. It has been reported that GOP leadership is trying to rush through $2 trillion in cuts, a reckless reduction in federal spending that would devastate Californians who count on Medicaid and other safety net programs.