Access to affordable health care, housing, and nutritious food is necessary for all Californians to thrive. But Republican federal budget proposals would pave the way for deep and harmful cuts that would take health coverage, nutrition assistance, and other essentials away from millions of Californians who are already struggling to make ends meet in the face of persistently high inflation and the high cost of living. These cuts would increase poverty and hardship, widen race and ethnic inequities, and make it harder for workers to maintain their jobs in exchange for funding huge tax giveaways for the wealthy.
This fact sheet shows how many residents in California’s 22nd Congressional District, represented by Representative David Valadao, benefit from vital programs at risk of being cut. The data illustrate the potentially wide-reaching impact cuts could have in the community.
Health Care
Medi-Cal saves lives. It’s a lifeline that provides free or low-cost health coverage for nearly 15 million Californians — over one-third of the state’s population — including children, pregnant individuals, seniors, and people with disabilities. Cutting Medi-Cal funding would mean taking critical care away from residents in California’s 22nd Congressional District who need it the most. Without access to health coverage, Californians will face impossible choices that put their health and economic security at risk while also driving up long-term costs for the state.
Nutrition
CalFresh nutrition assistance helps over 5 million Californians each month, including workers with low-paying jobs, buy the food they need to support their households. It brings billions of federal dollars into the state each year that Californians spend in their communities helping to boost local businesses and jobs. In early 2023, CalFresh kept 1.1 million state residents out of poverty, reducing California’s poverty rate by 3 percentage points, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. Cutting CalFresh funding would increase poverty and hunger, making it harder for residents in California’s 22nd Congressional District to maintain their jobs, and hurting local businesses as families spend less on groceries. Cuts could also reduce students’ access to free meals at school, putting additional pressure on family budgets.
Income
Income supports like CalWORKs and SSI help Californians with very low incomes, including people who are blind and individuals with disabilities, pay the rent and buy essentials for their families, like diapers and school supplies. These and other safety net supports lifted 3.2 million Californians out of poverty in early 2023, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. Cutting vital income supports would increase poverty and hardship among residents of CA-22, including low-income families with children, seniors, and disabled children and adults. Cuts would also reduce the spending power of residents in California’s 22nd Congressional District hurting local businesses and the local economy.
Housing & Homelessness
Housing is core to dignity, health, and economic stability. Yet, 56% of renters in CA-22 face unaffordable housing costs — the primary driver of housing insecurity and homelessness. In 2023 alone, 6,611 Californians experiencing homelessness engaged with service providers in CA-22. Key programs like the Continuum of Care Program are vital regional initiatives working to end and prevent homelessness in every congressional district. Housing Choice Vouchers — though significantly oversubscribed — help ensure residents can secure, afford, and maintain stable housing. Cutting these programs would mean the families, children, individuals, and seniors who rely on these essential supports would not be able to stay in their homes, increasing the risk of homelessness for many Californians.
Refundable Income Tax Credits
Credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) are proven tools for improving economic security among Californians with low and moderate incomes, and they’ve been linked to long-term benefits for children, including better health and school achievement. Cutting these credits would take away income that families in CA-22 count on to make ends meet, reducing their spending power and hurting local businesses and the economy.
District Context
Deep cuts to health coverage, nutrition assistance, and other essential supports would harm residents throughout CA-22, making it harder for families and individuals to afford health care and food and increasing poverty and hardship. Instead of making deep cuts to vital services to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy, Congress should instead pass a budget that broadens opportunity, cuts costs for families, and invests in people so that residents in California’s 22nd Congressional District can thrive in their communities.
