Capitol Police Zip-Tied Elderly Wheelchair Users During Protest Over Medicaid Cuts

U.S. Capitol Police zip-tied older people in their wheelchairs during a “die-in” demonstration protesting President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” which is estimated to cut Medicaid by $793 billion over the next 10 years.

More than 30 protesters were arrested Wednesday for “illegally demonstrating inside the Russell Senate Office Building,” a spokesperson for the U.S. Capitol Police told CNBC. “It is against the law to protest inside the Congressional buildings,” the spokesperson said, adding that “there are other places on Capitol grounds where people can lawfully demonstrate without issue.”

Videos circulating on social media showed a line of protesters in wheelchairs, their wrists zip-tied in a way that allowed them to maneuver their devices. Many were accompanied by officers. In total, 34 demonstrators were arrested, CNBC reported.

“Here are people in wheelchairs at Capitol on Wednesday arrested for their ‘die-in’ protest to oppose GOP’s plan to cut Medicaid which will literally kill them,” Dean Obeidallah, host of “The Dean Obeidallah Show,” wrote in a post on X. “The GOP is making these cuts to give their wealthy donors a tax cut. The anger towards GOP and oligarchs is why a Dem socialist won.”

More than 70 million low-income and disabled Americans rely on Medicaid for health insurance. If Trump’s proposed legislation passes in the Senate, around 16 million people could lose coverage by 2034.

A number of GOP senators have spoken out against the bill, including Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, Maine Sen. Susan Collins and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who told CBS News last week that she has “been pretty clear that when it comes to Medicaid, those cuts that would harm Alaskan beneficiaries, that’s not something that I can take home, right?”

“We have some of the highest health care costs in the country. We have 40% of Alaska’s kids that are on Medicaid. I want to try to do what we can to address certain aspects of our entitlement spending,” Murkowski stated. “We’ve got to do that. But doing it with the most vulnerable bearing the brunt of that is not the answer,” she added.

Originally published on Latin Times

U.S. Capitol Police zip-tied older people in their wheelchairs during a “die-in” demonstration protesting President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” which is estimated to cut Medicaid by $793 billion over the next 10 years.

More than 30 protesters were arrested Wednesday for “illegally demonstrating inside the Russell Senate Office Building,” a spokesperson for the U.S. Capitol Police told CNBC. “It is against the law to protest inside the Congressional buildings,” the spokesperson said, adding that “there are other places on Capitol grounds where people can lawfully demonstrate without issue.”

Videos circulating on social media showed a line of protesters in wheelchairs, their wrists zip-tied in a way that allowed them to maneuver their devices. Many were accompanied by officers. In total, 34 demonstrators were arrested, CNBC reported.

“Here are people in wheelchairs at Capitol on Wednesday arrested for their ‘die-in’ protest to oppose GOP’s plan to cut Medicaid which will literally kill them,” Dean Obeidallah, host of “The Dean Obeidallah Show,” wrote in a post on X. “The GOP is making these cuts to give their wealthy donors a tax cut. The anger towards GOP and oligarchs is why a Dem socialist won.”

More than 70 million low-income and disabled Americans rely on Medicaid for health insurance. If Trump’s proposed legislation passes in the Senate, around 16 million people could lose coverage by 2034.

A number of GOP senators have spoken out against the bill, including Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, Maine Sen. Susan Collins and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who told CBS News last week that she has “been pretty clear that when it comes to Medicaid, those cuts that would harm Alaskan beneficiaries, that’s not something that I can take home, right?”

“We have some of the highest health care costs in the country. We have 40% of Alaska’s kids that are on Medicaid. I want to try to do what we can to address certain aspects of our entitlement spending,” Murkowski stated. “We’ve got to do that. But doing it with the most vulnerable bearing the brunt of that is not the answer,” she added.

Originally published on Latin Times