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Committee sends resolution opposing federal cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid to the floor
Summary
AJR 3, an assembly joint resolution urging protection of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid (Medi‑Cal in California), was advanced to the Senate floor after broad testimony from retired‑worker and disability advocates and unanimous committee support.
Assemblymember Rishiavo presented AJR 3 and described the resolution’s purpose: to urge California’s congressional delegation and the White House to protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid from federal cuts. The author framed the three programs as foundational sources of income and health care for millions of Californians and said any cuts would produce “irreparable harm.”
Multiple witnesses representing seniors, retired‑worker groups, community clinics, disability coalitions and labor unions testified in support, including Gary Poe (Saint John’s Community Health Clinic), Julia Feinberg (a person with disabilities who described how Medicaid and Medicare support her independence), and representatives of the California Alliance for Retired Americans (CARA), SEIU, UDW AFSCME Local 3930, Children Now, California Nurses Association and others. Testimony described potential harms from cuts, such as reduced access to home‑ and community‑based services, longer waits for care, and downstream impacts on hospitals and caregivers.
Vice Chair Troppo and Senator Becker both voiced support while also raising questions about how to balance fiscal concerns and possible reforms; the vice chair said she supported the resolution but expressed concern about specific language that calls for raising taxes on higher‑income households. The author and supporters highlighted administrative cost differences between Medicare and private insurance and argued for protecting current programs.
The committee voted to pass AJR 3 to the Senate floor; the clerk reported the motion “do pass” and the committee later reported the measure to the floor by unanimous recorded vote in the hearing summary.
