Local News Pasadena: 'People Can't Afford Rent and Insulin'
California’s Democratic representatives are warning that the ongoing federal government shutdown is worsening a health care emergency for millions of residents, with community clinics, hospitals, and patients bracing for funding cuts and coverage losses.
At a recent press conference led by Representative Pete Aguilar (CA-33), chair of the House Democratic Caucus, first-term members Laura Friedman, Dave Min, Lateefah Simon, Derek Tran, and George Whitesides were featured, each describing how the shutdown and health care reductions are rippling through their districts.
Aguilar, who represents San Bernardino County, framed the issue as both economic and moral. He said Republican leaders “created a health care crisis on top of the affordability crisis that Californians already know too well,” pointing to the San Bernardino Adult Day Health Care Center as one of many facilities at risk of closing.
“Patients at this center call it their lifeline,” he said. “If this center closes as a result of these cuts, these people will be out of luck, and they’re not alone.”
Aguilar argued that more than 2.3 million Californians could lose medical coverage if Congress fails to extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits, calling on House Republicans to “reopen the government and save health care.” His statements set the tone for a call that balanced frustration with urgency. Democrats, he suggested, were ready to negotiate, but “Republicans have been on vacation for over a month.”
Following Aguilar, Representative Laura Friedman (CA-30) brought the conversation to Los Angeles, describing how families from Glendale to Hollywood are already feeling the impact. She said residents have approached her in grocery stores, worried about premiums that could rise by thousands of dollars.
“People are telling me they can’t afford rent and insulin at the same time,” Friedman said. She added that safety-net hospitals in her district are warning of layoffs and possible closures.
Friedman’s comments underscored the cascading effect of federal inaction. When clinics close, she noted, “people wait until they’re sicker and clog up the ERs because they desperately need care.” Her remarks bridged local stories with a statewide warning that the shutdown is creating a “manufactured crisis” for working families and medical providers alike.
Representative Dave Min (CA-47), who represents a swing district in Orange County, echoed that alarm, focusing on middle-class households. He said his office has fielded calls from constituents who rely on ACA subsidies to manage chronic conditions.
“No one should have to choose between going to the doctor and putting groceries on the table,” Min said.
Min added that premiums could jump by 50 to 200 percent if tax credits lapse, “bankrupting families” and forcing them to drop coverage.
Min’s comments highlighted the political paradox of the shutdown. He said he has not received “a single call” from Republican leadership seeking bipartisan solutions, even though moderate districts like his will feel the sharpest pain.
Shifting to the Bay Area, Representative Lateefah Simon (CA-12) emphasized the human toll on working-class families and seniors.
“This is about a direct attack on working-class children and elders,” she said. Estimating that more than 35,000 of her constituents depend on Medi-Cal. Simon, a longtime civil rights advocate, connected the debate to broader issues of equity, warning that the GOP bill “takes from the poor to pay the rich.”
Her observations were the most pointed of the call, describing the cuts as “cruel policy-making” that would shutter trauma centers and eliminate prenatal and cancer care. Simon’s passion provided an emotional bridge to the next speaker, who focused on the ground-level effects.
Representative Derek Tran (CA-45), representing a politically mixed district in Orange and San Bernardino counties, described visiting a Planned Parenthood facility that had recently laid off 77 providers. “People are frustrated and scared,” he said, noting that thousands have already lost access to primary care. Tran called for bipartisan cooperation, saying he regularly seeks Republican co-sponsors for his bills but has seen little reciprocation.
Tran’s comments reflected a pragmatic frustration shared across the delegation: that legislative gridlock is leaving clinics and hospitals without clarity while families face rising costs.
Closing the call, Representative George Whitesides (CA-27) of Northern Los Angeles County returned to the theme of compassion. Reading a letter from a cancer survivor and nurse in his district, he said she feared losing her ACA coverage and “could not survive without affordable insurance.” Whitesides added, “The idea that we are raising the cost of something as basic as health care just to provide handouts to billionaires is almost unbelievable.”
His closing remarks reinforced the delegation’s central message: that reopening the government and restoring federal health care funding is not just a partisan demand, but a matter of survival for millions of Californians.
As the shutdown continues, the state’s representatives say they remain committed to finding a path forward. Their appeal reflects a broader concern that every week of inaction deepens the strain on families, hospitals, and local economies. In their view, restoring stability in Washington is not only about politics but about protecting the health and security of the people they serve.