Protesters gathered outside the Houston office of US Sen. John Cornyn on Monday, urging him to vote against a massive federal budget bill. (Photo by ShaVonne Herndon)
About four-dozen Houston residents gathered outside US Sen. John Cornyn’s office to protest a Trump spending bill they say is a dangerous giveaway to billionaires at the expense of working families.
Jessica Jackson joined about 50 people outside US Sen. John Cornyn’s office near Memorial Park to deliver a message: Supporting President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” would do real harm to people in Houston.
Jackson, who helped organize the protest on Monday, called the legislation a life-or-death issue.
“We’re hoping the senator will take us seriously,” she said. “He doesn’t answer to the people lining his pockets—he answers to us.”
The bill, which narrowly passed the House in May, proposes extending the 2017 tax cuts and overhauling federal spending. Critics warn it would gut Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, and nutrition assistance programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program —potentially stripping healthcare from over 13 million Americans and reducing food support for millions more. At the heart of the plan is $4.6 trillion in tax breaks over the next decade, with 70% of those benefits projected to go to the top 1% of earners.
Texas’ Republican House delegation backed the measure, voting in lockstep with Trump’s push to extend tax cuts and shrink public spending. Their support ignited fresh criticism from advocates who say the legislation prioritizes the wealthy at the expense of vulnerable communities.
At the protest, longtime activist Carla Schwab said the moment felt more dire than any she’s witnessed.
“This is the worst I’ve ever seen,” she said. “It’s gonna affect our Social Security, our Medicare. It’s gonna break nursing homes, rural hospitals.”
Vicki Coffman, 73, relies on medications to manage several health conditions. She said she’s concerned the cuts in the bill would affect her.
“I have an irregular heartbeat, I have high blood pressure, and I have high pressure in my right eye. I’m gonna get seriously degraded sight in that eye or go blind,” Coffman explained. “It has so many lousy things in it for regular people and so many giveaways for billionaires.”
As the Senate nears a vote on the bill, protester Pascal Rawlins warned that the legislation is about more than just budgets.
“All it is is just a way of trying to consolidate power for the people who are already up at the top,” Rawlins said. “They want us exhausted, and so they keep doing all of this stuff to try and keep all of us down. That’s what it’s all about.”
Cornyn has called the bill “landmark legislation” that supports Trump’s legislative agenda.
