call to action for May 22, 2025
Background
In the wee hours of the night, House Republicans passed their budget reconciliation bill—the one that Trump calls his “big, beautiful bill.” In fact, the bill is as small-minded and as ugly as you could imagine. And now it goes to the Senate.
If the bill passes the Senate and goes into law, it will have catastrophic consequences. It will cut nearly $800 billion from Medicaid (health insurance for low-income people and their children), nearly $300 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP (food assistance for low-income families), and $500 billion from Medicare (that’s right, Medicare!). The Medicaid cuts alone will take health insurance away from more than 13 million people.
Remarkably, the bill will INCREASE the deficit. That’s because its massive cuts in medical and food aid for poor people aren’t enough offset the bill’s huge tax cuts for the top 1% of Americans.
No Democrats in either house will support this bill. So our recommendation today is a little different: We suggest calling friends and family members who live in Republican states, and asking them to call their senators.
Call People in States with Republican Senators
If you know people in a state served by a Republican Senator, call (or email) them and make the following ask:
The GOP budget will be catastrophic. Its deep cuts to Medicaid will take health insurance away from millions of low-income Americans, and its cuts to SNAP will result in millions of hungry children. What’s more, its Medicare cuts threaten healthcare for millions of older Americans. Please call your Republican senator and say:
Hi, my name is [name], and I am a constituent in the [zip code] zip code. I’m calling because I just learned that the reconciliation bill passed by the House not only will cuts Medicaid and SNAP but also will trigger $500 billion in cuts to Medicare. That is a complete and total outrage. I’m going to make this very clear. If Senator [name] votes for this bill, I will do everything I can to make sure that they lose their next election. Vote no. Thank you.
Call Your California Senators and Representative
California Senators
Alex Padilla | 202-224-3553
Adam Schiff | 202-224-3841
Your Representative
Sam Liccardo | 202-225-8104
(Most IPA+ members are represented by Sam Liccardo. If you are not sure who your U.S. representative is, go here.)
If you want to call your Democratic Senators and Representative, then take this moment to call out the extremism of the Trump regime. Here’s a script:
The Trump regime is violating the law every day, trampling on Constitutional rights including habeas corpus and other forms of due process. Its assault on science and medical research is setting us back a generation. It is committing violence against low-income Americans by removing access to healthcare. Its corruption is staggering, and is happening in plain sight.
These are not normal times. Trump is not simply a Republican with whom you disagree. He is leading a criminal gang that is dismantling democratic institutions and norms.
As your constituent, I ask you to treat this regime accordingly and refuse to comply with its criminality. Vote no on everything. Hold up committee proceedings. Take bold action, as these times require. Please represent our outrage!