During a California State Assembly redistricting meeting on Thursday, California State Rep. Patrick Ahrens (D-CA) spoke about why California should redistrict.
00:00Thank you Mr. Speaker. Before I give remarks, I just wanted to mention that I'm a proud co-sponsor of ACA 8, so when the opposition continues their unserious lawsuits they know who to direct them towards.
00:18I rise in support of standing up and defending the rights of freedoms for all Californians and Americans. We must take decisive action to stand up to Donald Trump's unprecedented call for Republican-led states like Texas and Florida to redraw the congressional lines and unfairly rig the 2026 midterm elections for Republican politicians to benefit.
00:42Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress passed their big ugly federal budget which is set to obliterate health care access for millions and already struggling Californians.
00:54Colleagues, each and every single one of you in this room, regardless of political party, have tens of thousands of constituents who will lose health care because Donald Trump and Washington DC Republicans recently adopted that budget.
01:08And Republican Congress members passed this big ugly federal budget which cuts hundreds of billions of dollars in funding to America's health system without any alternative plan to protect health access for anyone.
01:21How will your community's hospitals and health clinics benefit from the suffering of this federal budget?
01:28The result of massive divestment of federal dollars in health care, Trump's big ugly federal budget will indeed result in lives being lost.
01:38Donald Trump and MAGA extremist Republican politicians will make no plan to protect health care access for any Californians or any Americans.
01:51MAGA extremist Republicans in DC have decimated our health care in every corner of the United States for no reason and no alternative plan just to give tax cuts to their super wealthy campaign donors and millionaires like themselves.
02:07These Trump cuts will kick poor people off of their health care but also result in higher health insurance premiums for all of us.
02:16Because without health insurance, we will have to get care at the most expensive place and time in whatever emergency rooms that are left in our communities.
02:26And now Americans are pissed off at Republican politicians for obliterating their access to health care, Trump is leading Republican-led states like Texas and Florida and demanding that they exert their state legislative power to unilaterally redraw their congressional districts to make it easier for more Republican politicians to win congressional seats.
02:54And what are we to do?
02:57We cannot sit by and let Donald Trump and Republicans rig the next election so that they cannot be held accountable and have no chance to be voted out or lose control of Congress.
03:12Heaven forbid they actually are held accountable by their failed policies in America.
03:19California is honoring our Constitution, unlike Republicans in Texas, by defending our liberty and giving Californians a choice to defend themselves against Donald Trump's attacks on our country and our state.
03:34I rise in support and ask all of my colleagues to join me in fighting back for all of California, regardless of where you represent, and stop the robbing of Californians' rights, the robbing of our liberty and our lives.
03:51We must stop Trump, and the desecration of our founding fathers' dream for a government by and for the people.
04:02I urge all of my colleagues, all Californians, and all Americans to join California's efforts to defend ourselves against the rising tide of fascism and authoritarianism in this country.
Be the first to comment