WASHINGTON — The fate of the Big Beautiful Bill rests with a handful of Republicans such as David Valadao whose political future could well be determined by how it affects his Central Valley constituents’ healthcare, food assistance and tax bills.

The Hanford Republican visited the White House Wednesday as President Donald Trump pushed hard to convince GOP lawmakers to go along.

On Capitol Hill at roughly the same time, Democrats reminded Republicans of the political stakes.

“Why would David Valadao vote for this bill?” House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., asked at a rally on the Capitol steps. “This bill is fundamentally un-American,” added House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-San Bernardino.

Clark then described what she said would be what people in the district would lose in Medi-Cal coverage and food aid.

Valadao, whose office would not provide details of the White House meeting, is used to such pressure in close votes and close political races.. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has been sending out statements criticizing his views on Medicaid.. Its Wednesday release charged Valadao was “expressing fake concern over Medicaid cuts.”

But Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Chico, said constituents would look beyond the Democratic claims

“They understand him…he understands them,” he said of Valadao’s constituents. “No one’s going to care what Katherine Clark of Massachusetts says.”

Rep. Mike Food, R-Nebraska, was among those who met with Trump. “No bill is perfect. That’s what compromises are for,” he said in a video message on X. “I’m confident this bill is good for hospitals. It’s good for people who receive Medicaid.”

A history of close races

Valadao won his House seat in 2012, then lost the 2018 election in a year when Democrats swept seats across the country during President Donald Trump’s first term. Valadao rebounded and won the seat in 2020. Last year he won by seven percentage points.

The Big Beautiful Bill, which continues key tax cuts enacted during the first Trump administration but also cuts billions in Medicaid and food assistance, confronts Valadao with the type of challenge he’s rarely faced, one where the potential impact on his constituents looks more stark.

The California Health Care Foundation, an independent nonprofit group that studies health issues, says that two-thirds of the people in Valadao’s district receive help from Medi-Cal.

The majority Latino district includes most of Kings County and slices of Tulare and Kern counties.

Valadao and Medi-Cal

Just before one of the big budget votes in April, Valadao told The Bee he does see value in trying to slow Medi-Cal’s growth.

“One of the things we need to do a little better job is looking at ways to lower the cost for alternatives,” he said. “You try to explain the best you can and hope the voters will see through the political attacks”

Since then, Valadao has joined other Republicans in urging GOP leaders to make sure Medicaid cuts are not severe.

Last week, he joined 15 other Republican House members in a letter to the leaders. While they said they backed reforms, they also were concerned about cuts to emergency funding.

“These changes would place additional burdens on hospitals already stretched thin by legal and moral obligations to provide care,” they said.

Valadao had not said how he would vote on the bill as of the Bee’s deadline. A vote is expected Wednesday night or Thursday.

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