| A blistering new report makes clear that Central Valley voters are ready to turn the page on David Valadao after he cast the deciding vote to gut Medicaid and sell out the people who sent him to Washington.
Constituents are calling it a “betrayal, one that…should cost him a seat in Congress.”
The Sacramento Bee reports that Valadao’s betrayal is rooted in the reality on the ground – where “five hospitals in Valadao’s district alone would lose nearly $90 million annually as a result of the Medicaid cuts,” nearly a quarter of CA-22 residents live below the poverty line, double the national average – and where two-thirds of residents rely on Medi-Cal, the highest rate of any Republican-held district in the country. For children, that number skyrockets to 87%.
Take it from Valadao’s own constituents:
Bakersfield resident Audrey Chavez, who previously supported Valadao:
- Chavez “still struggles to grasp Valadao’s vote. She supported him in 2012”…
- “Years later, however, Chavez said she was disappointed with his support of H.R. 1. Chavez protested outside Valadao’s office in Fresno repeatedly last year, hoping that the congressmember would change his position.”
- “She called his final vote ‘devastating’ and now plans to vote for one of Valadao’s Democratic challengers this November.”
- “‘Every year, there are different types of concerns, problems, frustrations or barriers, but when our own representatives become a barrier to the needs and to accessing services that we have paid into, then it’s time for them to go.’”
Rodolfo Morales-Ayon, a 22-year-old constituent from the small immigrant town of Pixley, who relies on Medi-Cal
- “‘[Valadao’s] vote really twisted my decision to never let this guy in office ever again.’”
- “The anticipation of what is to come is already reshaping how he thinks about his health.”
- “His farmworker parents used [Medi-Cal] as their jobs didn’t provide insurance. ‘…I seriously don’t know what would happen to me if that wasn’t there to help my family.’”
- “He continues to rely on the program for routine care and medication, as do many of his relatives. The upcoming changes have left him worried”…
- “‘I’m fearful for my community…there’s just so much that he (Valadao) could have done but…it’s too late.’”
As constituents speak out, Valadao has gone silent, once again refusing to interview for this piece – which the Sacramento Bee notes is “an approach he has taken repeatedly since his vote last summer.”
Read more here: The Sacramento Bee: Rep. Valadao faces re-election challenge as Medi-Cal cuts affect Central Valley
DCCC Spokesperson Anna Elsasser:
“David Valadao has refused to show any independence when it matters in Congress, even when it means robbing his constituents of their health care. Even now as voters speak out, Valadao is refusing to take accountability and nowhere to be found. Central Valley voters won’t forget this betrayal – and they won’t forgive it either.” |
