VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — It was a soggy Wednesday, but that didn't keep protesters from gathering in the Town Center section of Virginia Beach with a message regarding President Trump's proposed spending bill, which he is dubbing a "big, beautiful" bill.
About two dozen protesters carrying signs and umbrellas were sounding off in the rain. Amanda Pittman from the group Affordable Virginia organized this protest right outside Congresswoman Jen Kiggans' (R-Virginia) Town Center office.
"[Kiggans' office] is right up there on the ninth floor, and we're here to let her know that we want her to vote against any Medicaid cuts," said Pittman.
The group says they're worried about how Trump's bill could impact Medicaid. The proposed legislation includes significant alterations to Medicaid, seeking to impose work and education requirements for beneficiaries, per Scripps News reports.
Pittman claims, "Over 600,000 Virginians getting kicked off of Medicaid. Medicaid is a federal-state partnership. Virginia voted to expand Medicaid, and if the federal government gets rid of that funding, then 600,000 Virginians are set to lose it."
Nationwide, the House GOP package proposes cutting nearly $700 billion from Medicaid over the next 10 years, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, as well as steep cuts to the program that oversees food stamps to low-income families.
Pittman expressed concerns, claiming, "300,000 kids in Virginia rely on SNAP for basic nutrition, and we are looking at the budget right now that would gut that program."
Pittman says the group is aware Kiggans was in Washington D.C. at the time of the protest, but they believe their message will still be heard.
"We know that some of her staffers are upstairs, and hopefully they'll let her know that we're still here. We're showing up. No matter rain or shine, we're going to be here," said Pittman.
I went inside the building that houses her Town Center office to try to get a statement from a spokesperson.
Amanda Gray, a spokesperson for Rep. Kiggans' D.C. office released this statement:
"Thank you for reaching out. The reconciliation bill is still under consideration in the House Rules Committee, and no finalized legislative text has been released at this time. Until the bill is available for full review, it would be premature to comment on its contents or potential impact. Please feel free to reach back out once we have had an opportunity to review the finalized House bill."
I then asked Gray if Kiggans has decided how she intends to vote, to which she responded, "I cannot provide a response at this time. It is still with Rules committee. Please follow-up when we have more information."
Current estimates indicate that President Trump can only afford to lose three Republicans in order for this bill to survive.
