Press Release
Members of Congress, California State Lawmakers, and Anaheim Community Rally Against GOP’s Billionaire Tax Scam
06. 03. 2025
Community members gathered to condemn a federal tax bill that would drive Californian kids into poverty to pay for billionaire tax cuts.
Anaheim, CA – Economic Security Action California rallied with national and state lawmakers and Anaheim community leaders Saturday at the Anaheim Convention Center to sound the alarm on federal legislation that would slash programs serving millions of Californians while handing trillions in tax breaks to corporations and the wealthy. The sweeping GOP bill, which cleared the House last week and now moves to the Senate, could eliminate billions in food assistance, healthcare, and housing support for California families.
This event was designed to send a clear message: Californians won’t stand by while Republicans in Washington hand tax breaks to billionaires and pay for them by slashing healthcare, veterans programs, education, and raising costs for working families. The House version of the bill could kick over 8 million adults across the country off Medicare, snatch food assistance away from 880,000 people, and strip the Child Tax Credit from 910,000 kids statewide.
“We are all here because all of us strongly believe in no more tax cuts for billionaires and wealthy corporations,” said Mónica Lazo, California Campaigns Director at Economic Security California Action. “This is a time when we should be modernizing our safety net programs to meet the high cost of living, but instead we are here defending the crumbs our people get because it’s better than nothing. Instead of slashing vital programs, we need to be putting more money back in working- and middle-class families’ pockets to help with the affordability crisis that is currently hurting our communities.”
The event brought together constituents and leaders such as members of Economic Security California Action, Oxfam, U.S. Rep. Judy Chu, U.S. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, California State Sen. Scott Wiener, California State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez, Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, Assemblymember Celeste Rodriguez, The Central City Neighborhood Partners, End Poverty in California (EPIC), GRACE End Child Poverty California, UCLA Prof. of Public Policy and Management Wes Yin, and other local leadership and community voices to call for tax justice and economic policies that work for all Americans.
The rally featured Oxfam’s “Tax Fight Yacht Tour” with a giant inflatable yacht emblazoned with “Tax the Ultra-Rich” – a symbol of wealth inequality that has drawn significant attention. The yacht tour is traveling nationwide to spotlight the devastating impact of proposed billionaire tax cuts and to rally public support for a fairer tax system.
Here is what speakers had to say during the event:
“Trump’s temper tariffs are already tanking the economy and raising costs for seniors and working families. Now, his Big Backstabbing Bill threatens to worsen the situation by cutting health care, food assistance, and essential services that keep us alive,” said U.S. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove. “I refuse to stand idly by while Trump and the Republicans scheme to take coverage away from over 400,000 constituents who rely on Medicaid just to give handouts to their billionaire buddies.”
“Our country is being governed by a ruling class of elites who don’t care about everyday people,” said California Assemblymember Isaac Bryan. “But we do care, don’t we? That is what this convention is about. We know what they’re doing, the question is what are we going to do about it?” “This federal administration is trying to fleece our government in order to give big tax breaks to corporations and billionaires,” said California State Senator Sasha Rénee Pérez. “It is unacceptable. They are taking away the basic services that all of us rely on … and we cannot allow them to do this.”
“If signed into law, next year, the bottom 40% of earners in this country will lose money while the top 0.1% will each pocket an extra $390,000 per year,” said U.S. Rep. Judy Chu. “And yet, Republicans want to enact the largest cut to Medicaid in our nation’s history, for what? So that Elon Musk can get another yacht?”
“On every front, the House bill does exactly the opposite of what we need,” said Wes Yin, UCLA professor of public policy and management. “Instead of policies like this, we in California and the rest of the country need to invest in people, and invest in communities —in good times, and especially in times of need. We need to ensure that companies are competing fairly so that the ingenuity of people and businesses are truly rewarded, and we need a tax system that rewards work and talent, not wealth and rent seeking. In short, we need an economy that serves the people.”
Photos from the event are available through Getty at this link.