SAN FRANCISCO – A significant outcry has emerged in response to President Trump’s billionaire-backed budget bill, narrowly passed on May 22, 2025, which threatens to impose severe cuts to essential services such as Medicaid, food assistance, and education.
The proposed legislation, which targets crucial resources for families, seniors, and children, has raised alarms among community leaders and residents alike.
In San Francisco, one-third of the population relies on Medi-Cal for their healthcare needs, while many others depend on CalFresh for food assistance and school lunches.
According to reports from Keystone Newsroom, the bill proposes to cut $698 billion from Medicaid, jeopardizing healthcare coverage for an estimated 7.5 million Americans.
The drastic savings from these cuts are intended to fund tax breaks for the wealthy, augment military spending, and enhance border enforcement, including deploying more than 10,000 additional border agents.
Local opposition initiatives are gaining momentum, with San Francisco participating in a week-long emergency fast aimed at protesting the detrimental effects of the legislation.
This coordinated effort, which began in February in Orange County and Bakersfield and resumed in May, has received significant backing from healthcare professionals and community members.
The fast specifically targets key House Republicans—Reps. Young Kim, David Valadao, Darrell Issa, and Ken Calvert—demanding that they prioritize the needs of their constituents over party lines.
We Are California, a prominent advocacy group that champions issues such as immigrant rights, housing, healthcare, environmental justice, and fair wages, has played an instrumental role in mobilizing community members for the protest.
California lawmakers have publicly condemned the budget proposal.
Assemblymember Matt Haney expressed his support by joining the fast on May 21, asserting that “California communities deserve better.”
District 11 Supervisor Chyanne Chen echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the reliance of many residents on the vital services that the bill threatens.
Lizzy Tapia, President of UNITE HERE Local 2, along with several former presidents of the union, was also present at the protest.
“We won’t stand by while Congress and billionaires threaten Medicaid, food assistance, and other essential public services that millions of families depend on,” Tapia stated.
Referencing last year’s successful Local 2 strike, during which hotel workers demanded and secured healthcare coverage, she highlighted the urgency of the current situation.
Lance Toma, CEO of the San Francisco Community Health Center, called Medicaid a “lifeline” for marginalized communities and vowed to “fight tooth and nail” to preserve it.
Critics of the bill, including Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern, have called it a “scam” designed to enrich the wealthy at the expense of the public.
An article by Reuters reported that the proposed legislation could add nearly $4 trillion to the national debt, raising concerns among analysts that this is a strategic maneuver to justify further cuts to social programs in the future.
As the debt ceiling is set to rise to a historically high $4 trillion, the bill poses a critical question for Congress regarding the potential for a default crisis projected for the summer.
President Trump has lauded the budget bill, branding it as “arguably the most significant piece of legislation that will ever be signed in the history of our country.”
Economic forecasts suggest that the bill may negatively impact the income of the bottom 10% of Americans while increasing earnings for the top 10%.
The legislation is now slated for consideration in the Senate, where Republicans have expressed a willingness to discuss amendments over the coming weeks.
Notably, one of the bill’s provisions includes punitive measures for states that may choose to expand Medicaid in the future, alongside a new eligibility requirement likely to disenfranchise millions from the program.
This provision is set to take effect in 2026, two years sooner than previously anticipated.
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