Rep. Young Kim had been among a small group of House Republicans who who had said they would not back any major cuts to Medicaid.
Rep. Young Kim, the lone Republican who represents Orange County in Congress, voted in favor of the massive bill that makes major changes to tax policy and programs, including Medicaid.
The other five Orange County representatives all voted against it, along with the rest of the House Democrats.
Still, the bill passed the House Thursday, July 3, 218-214, after a marathon overnight dealmaking among Republicans and a record-setting, nearly nine-hour speech by Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York. It’s considered a major legislative victory for President Donald Trump.
Democrats, and some Republicans, had expressed various levels of concern about the $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid funding the Senate added to the bill earlier this week. More than 2.3 million Californians could lose access to Medi-Cal coverage, projections estimate.
Kim had been among a small group of House Republicans, many of whom represent swing districts, who had said they would not back any major cuts to Medicaid that could impact coverage to vulnerable populations or that could threaten hospitals, nursing homes and safety-net providers.
“A budget resolution that does not protect vital Medicaid services for the most vulnerable citizens in my community will not receive my vote,” Kim said in April.
