House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) concluded a 12-hour sit-in Sunday evening on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, rallying Americans to oppose deep cuts to Medicaid, Social Security, and vital safety net programs proposed by President Donald Trump and Republican leaders.
The demonstration began at sunrise, with Jeffries and Booker live streaming a conversation across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X, and YouTube, urging Americans to speak out against what they called a “cruel” and “reckless” budget.
Over the course of the day, they were joined by faith leaders, activists, union leaders, experts, and lawmakers, many of whom warned about the real-world impact of the proposed cuts.
“Budgets are more than just numbers in a spreadsheet — they are moral documents,” Booker said. “They reveal what we value, who we protect, and what we stand for. Republicans in Congress are proposing cuts that will take food from children, health care from the sick, and dignity from those already struggling. It’s wrong. To stop it, we all must say so — clearly, courageously, and together.”
Jeffries warned that the proposed cuts would devastate seniors, families, and vulnerable communities.
“Republicans are crashing the economy in real time,” he said. “Now, they want to jam a reckless budget down the throats of the American people that will end Medicaid as we know it, destroy Social Security, and rip food from the mouths of children, seniors and veterans. As Democrats, we’re going to continue to stand on the side of the American people and we will not rest until we bury this reckless Republican budget in the ground.”
The sit-in was timed with Congress returning from a two-week recess, as Republican leaders push forward a budget containing more than $1.5 trillion in spending cuts, paired with tax cuts and funding for border priorities. House Speaker Mike Johnson has assured centrist Republicans that Medicaid and Social Security would be preserved, but Democrats maintain that the scale of cuts required would inevitably gut these programs.
Throughout the day, figures such as American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, civil rights attorney Maya Wiley, the Rev. William Barber II, and others joined the sit-in.
Wiley shared personal stories of Americans who would suffer under the proposed cuts.
“The cuts, when we’re talking about cuts, people bleed and we should put names behind them,” Wiley said. “You know, Sarah in South Dakota had a son who has seizures one to five times a day, had to quit her job to try to save her son. It is Medicaid that helps pay for her health care to do that. Or Jasmine in Alabama, in Tuscaloosa, with two kids, who was taking care of other people’s children when she fell and became disabled, and it’s Medicaid that was taking care of her.”
Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), and Representatives Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), Sarah McBride (D-Del.), Mark Takano (D-Calif.), Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.), Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.), Emily Randall (D-Wash.), Sarah Elfreth (D-Md.), and Democratic Del. Stacey Plaskett of the U.S. Virgin Islands also participated.
Booker said Democrats must move beyond “business as usual” and find new ways to confront injustice.
“We can’t keep doing things like business as usual,” he said. “Speaking out and speaking up is how we will convince four Republicans in the House and Senate to do the right thing and vote no.”