DAVENPORT, Iowa – Hundreds gathered in support of Sen. Ruben Gallego at a town hall in eastern Iowa as he criticized the massive tax bill backed by Republicans and signed by President Donald Trump, arguing it would make “America poorer and sicker.”
Gallego’s lively event contrasted with Rep. Mike Flood’s town hall earlier that week, where a larger crowd in Nebraska expressed disapproval of the Republican’s efforts to promote the same bill.
After months of searching for a way to counter Trump’s aggressive stance in his second White House term, Democrats have adopted a forceful opposition to his major legislation, a move fueled by their collective dissatisfaction with Trump.
“I think this bill is helping Democrats see clearly what’s at stake with the future of protections for so many regular Americans,” said Pete Wernimont of Waterloo, who traveled 140 miles to hear Gallego speak. “I just hope they are there when it really matters a year from now.”
Although some Republicans in safe districts are facing crowds to promote Trump’s law, many in Congress are following GOP leaders’ advice to maintain lower profiles, particularly during the August recess that follows Trump’s enactment of the tax cut and spending reduction bill.
Democratic activists are highlighting the perceived political drawbacks of the measure as they aim to thwart Republican efforts to maintain slim Congressional majorities in the approaching midterm elections.
“This is the galvanizing moment that’s happening because Democrats now understand, we’re the people that fight for the middle class and the working class of America,” Gallego told reporters before the event Saturday. “This is a clarifying moment for us.”
For two hours, the audience of some 300 people applauded and at times stood cheering for the Arizona Democrat, one of several party figures who have been attacking the bill in congressional districts represented by Republicans. He was in Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks’ 1st Congressional District, among the most competitive in the nation in the past three congressional elections.
For a party frustrated with an array of Trump administration initiatives, the measure has had its own energizing effect.
“I came here because I work in health care and this bill will hurt health care,” said Alexandra Salter, a physicians assistant from Davenport. “I think we are getting more vocal about it, because we need to speak up.”
The meeting contrasted sharply with Flood’s meeting in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Monday, when an even larger crowd of 700 voiced vigorous opposition to the bill, locking in especially on its changes to Medicaid, the federally funded health care program for low-income American.
The bill, which passed with no Democratic votes in the House or Senate, makes substantial cuts to the health care program, notably by imposing work requirements for many of those receiving aid.
The same frustration that drew Wernimont to Davenport Saturday convinced Ann Ashburn of Aurora, Nebraska, to drive the 70 miles (113 kilometers) to Lincoln to face Flood on Monday.
Ashburn learned about Flood’s appearance through an Omaha-area Democratic group called Blue Dot and reached out to friends who joined her. She dismissed any suggestion that such opposition had been orchestrated.
“I think the momentum could have been much greater had we been better organized,” the 72-year-old retired executive said.
For now, Republicans have their work cut out for them if they hope to use the measure as a reason for voters to return them to the majority in the 2026 elections. About two-thirds of U.S. adults expect the new law will help the rich, according to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Most — about 6 in 10 — also think it will do more to hurt than help low-income people, according to the survey taken last.
Gallego used his trip to Iowa, which included a requisite stop at the Iowa State Fair, to burnish his own profile in a state that, until 2020, traditionally had hosted the first event in the Democrats’ presidential nominating process. Iowa Democrats hope to return to the front of the parade when the 2028 primaries and caucuses begin.
Other figures already popular nationally with Democrats such as New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have been making stops in Republican districts decrying the legislation. Ocasio-Cortez last month headlined an event in New York’s 21st District, represented by Republican Elise Stefanik, noting among other items its Medicaid provisions.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is scheduled to hold rallies Sunday in Republican-held House districts in North Carolina. He too planned to focus on Medicaid cuts, and note their impact on rural hospitals in the state where former Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat now running for U.S. Senate, worked with the GOP-controlled legislature to expand Medicaid coverage in 2023.
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