In a startling incident, a collective of radical leftists converged on the U.S. Capitol Building to voice their opposition to the Medicaid reductions linked to the Big Beautiful Bill, resulting in the arrest of 34 individuals who were protesting within one of the Senate’s office buildings.
To provide context, on June 25, 2025, U.S. Capitol Police apprehended a significant number of demonstrators who had gathered for a “die-in” within the rotunda of the Russell Senate Office Building. This group of protestors reportedly included several individuals in wheelchairs and others who were concerned that their Medicaid coverage would become unaffordable due to the budget cuts proposed in President Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill.”
As reported by NBC Washington, Capitol Police indicated that 33 of the demonstrators were arrested for protesting inside a congressional building, while one additional individual was taken into custody for crossing a police line during the arrest process. Moreover, video evidence of the protestors being arrested depicted them continuing to shout and chant even as they were being handcuffed.
In an interview with NBC Washington, Analilia Mejia, co-director of the Center for Popular Democracy, the organization that orchestrated the protest, remarked that the demonstration was “about humanity,” further stating, “The reality is that when you consider almost half of births in the United States are covered by Medicaid, when you think about the number of Americans who without their insulin, without their heart medication, they would simply die —then, what this is about is keeping people alive.”
Additionally, Capitol Police informed CNBC that the arrests were conducted due to the location of the demonstration, rather than the nature of the protest itself. “It should be noted that there are other places on Capitol Grounds where people can lawfully demonstrate without issue,” they stated. They further clarified, “It is against the law to protest inside the Congressional Buildings.”
Furthermore, video recordings of the protest depicted the demonstrators holding a banner that stated, “Senate Republicans, Don’t Kill Us.” It was reported that the police confiscated the banner; however, even as they were being detained, the protestors continued to chant, “No cuts to Medicaid!” and “Kill the bill!”
Significantly, on June 26, the day following the arrest of the protestors, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was questioned by a reporter regarding the potential Medicaid cuts during a press briefing. The journalist reportedly remarked, “There are discussions taking place on the Hill at this moment concerning the Medicaid cuts. I am interested to know, if the final bill that the president has been discussing reaches him and includes Medicaid cuts, will he endorse it, or would he prefer Congress to eliminate those cuts?”
In reply, the press secretary refrained from providing a straightforward answer to the inquiry, stating, “I believe our colleagues in both the Senate and the House are fully aware of the president’s position on Medicaid.” She further commented, “He aims to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse, and they are currently addressing that in the Senate.”
Observe the arrest of the protestors:
