Referencing the Democrats’ nationwide “Medicaid Day of Action,” Representative Judy Chu hosted a town hall event at the Pasadena Senior Center on March 18 to highlight what the caucus has identified as a threat to healthcare services under the Trump administration.
“The threat to Medicaid is so severe that we have to hold town halls like this in every district across the nation so we can educate the whole nation as to what could happen,” she said. “I’ve gotten so many calls in my office from seniors frantic with worry.”
Throughout the event, Chu’s mentions of President Trump and Elon Musk were met with resounding disapproval from the audience.
“The President is concentrating his efforts on giving $4.5 trillion in tax cuts to billionaires and corporations. And the only way he can do it is by making severe cuts in other parts of the budget.”
Republicans plan to slash $880 billion from the Medicaid program, severely cutting health care for children and seniors. Medicaid is a cost-effective insurance program that provides healthcare to over 70 million Americans, including more than 14 million Californians. In the greater San Gabriel Valley district, more than 241,000 rely on Medicaid to afford health care.
Chu outlined several benefits of having Medicaid coverage, including staying healthier longer, missing fewer days of work and school and avoiding emergency room visits, which can bankrupt local hospitals.
“Medicaid ensures that every two out of three nursing home residents have a safe room,” she stated. “Medicaid is actually the primary payer for nursing home care in our country. Medicare only pays for limited days of rehab after a hospital stay and limited days of in-home skilled nursing care. Without Medicaid, nursing home costs could create out-of-pocket expenses upwards of $100,000 per year, money that most seniors do not have. Without Medicaid, many would have no way of affording the long-term care they need.”
More than 12 million people with Medicare also rely on Medicaid to make ends meet. For every $10 spent on Medicaid, $3 goes to Medicare beneficiaries, helping seniors to pay for things like cost sharing, premiums and services, long-term care, mental health services, dental vision, hearing and non-emergency medical transportation.
Chu also referenced President Trump’s plan to cut Social Security benefits, despite the President’s repeated statement to the contrary.
“That could not be further from the truth,” says Chu. “Elon Musk and DOGE have already taken taking a wrecking ball to Social Security. He is firing 7000 social security workers. That is one in every eight Social Security workers. He is closing down field offices around the country, and I just heard today that he’s closing down the toll-free phones that provide support for those who are trying to get answers to their Social Security benefits.”
“To make matters worse, some of the work workers being fired include the IT people responsible for ensuring that the social security systems so people get their benefits on time. The situation is dire. We just heard from the former Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Reilly, warning that without workers, we will see a collapse of the system and the disruption of benefits for the first time in eight decades,” stated Chu.
Chu also addressed the threat to privacy created by allowing Elon Musk and DOGE access to Social Security’s sensitive data system.
“Nothing would put our seniors at greater risk of fraud than having their social security numbers, banking information and other private information shared with Musk’s unaccountable cronies,” she said.
Recent reports include Elon Musk calling Social Security a Ponzi scheme and President Trump dismissing it as a sham.
“They repeat these lies,” says Chu, “because they want to sow distrust in the program to pave the way for their massive cuts. But we know the truth: Social Security is an earned benefit which Americans pay for with each and every paycheck, and in 90 years, Social Security has never missed a payment.”
“We have to fight to protect our nation’s 70 million Social Security beneficiaries,” Chu continued. “In fact, I think we should expand benefits so that they keep up with the rate of inflation and also provide dental, vision and hearing benefits. Democrats will not stop fighting back to protect seniors who worked their whole lives, paid their taxes and deserve the benefits they earned with a lifetime of work.”
Chu also addressed lowering the cost of food and housing and visited Speaker Michael Johnson’s office to demand answers as to why private personal and tax information was being given to Elon Musk.
“As a member of the Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over health policy, Social Security and the tax code, I want you to know that the Democrats are fighting every moment in these debates for the future of our health care, retirement security and tax data. We are fighting to protect access to care and benefits, and our greatest tools for stopping these cuts are your stories about how these programs have changed your lives. Republicans need to hear your voices.”
