WATCH: Military veterans sound alarm over California hospital crisis in new Prop 40 Billionaire Tax ad
Following major endorsements from the California Democratic Party, California Nurses Association, and the California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO, veterans make a powerful push to back Prop 40: “We’ve done our part serving our country. It’s time billionaires do theirs so Californians don’t lose the care we rely on.”
Watch the full recording of the announcement here.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Military veterans are sounding the alarm about California’s worsening healthcare crisis in a powerful new Prop 40 Billionaire Tax ad set to launch this week.
The new 30-second spot, titled “Veterans for Prop 40,” was released at a press conference on Tuesday. It features veterans Jimmie Morris, a respiratory care practitioner in Modesto, and Daryl Bell, a restorative aide at a hospital in Sacramento. Both proudly served in the United States military, and now work as frontline healthcare providers.
In the ad, Morris and Bell make clear the crisis that’s coming for California’s hospitals and clinics if billionaires don’t finally pay their fair share. The full transcript:
I proudly served my country in the Air Force.
Now I serve my patients here at home, and I’m worried about what’s coming for our healthcare system.
Massive federal cuts could push our hospitals and ERs past the breaking point.
In the military we know when systems fail, lives are lost. We can’t let that happen here.
A billionaire tax could help keep hospitals open.
We’ve done our part serving our country. It’s time billionaires do theirs so Californians don’t lose the care we rely on.
Let’s do what’s right. Join me in voting YES on the Billionaire Tax.
View the Prop 40 advertisement here.
The Billionaire Tax Now Coalition, which released the ad, noted that veterans are some of the state’s largest Medi-Cal recipients, and have among the most to lose under Trump’s devastating healthcare cuts.
“Our veterans answered the call when our country needed them. They put service before self and made extraordinary sacrifices. The very least California can do is make sure they have access to quality healthcare when they come home,” said Dave Regan, President of SEIU – United Healthcare Workers West.
“Prop 40 asks just 200 billionaires — some of the wealthiest people in the world — to contribute their fair share so that we can keep hospitals open, protect emergency rooms, preserve critical health services, and ensure veterans and working families aren’t left behind.”
10-year Navy veteran Joseph Brown, from Sacramento, agreed.
“We’re told there’s not enough money to protect healthcare for veterans, seniors, children, and working families. But somehow there’s always enough money for another tax break for billionaires,” said U.S. Navy veteran Joseph Brown. “We’ve done our part serving our country. Now it’s time billionaires do theirs.”
The veterans join hundreds of elected officials, labor unions, and community-based organizations that have endorsed Prop 40 as an urgent and necessary solution to keep hospitals open and healthcare costs from skyrocketing.
This past week alone, the California State Democratic Party, the California Nurses Association, and the state’s largest labor group, the California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO, all voted to endorse the Billionaire Tax, showing that Democrats and working families are united behind Prop 40.
The number of major supporters of the Billionaire Tax has far outpaced the number of groups opposing. Supporters include U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, Representative Ro Khanna, Teamsters California, AFSCME California, SEIU-UHW, Committee of Interns and Residents / SEIU, UNITE HERE Local 11, UNITE HERE Local 30, AFT Local 1521, Disability Voices United, Our Revolution California, Oxfam America, Color of Change, and many more.
The newly released ad highlights the destabilization of California’s healthcare system after Trump slashed $100 billion in funding to pay for billionaire tax cuts. By voting YES on Prop 40, California voters can raise about $100 billion to replace the healthcare funding Trump and his billionaire donors took from working people to hoard even more wealth.
At the press conference, members from veteran-led organizations Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute and Common Defense spoke in support of the measure.
“Trump and Republicans in Washington are cutting healthcare to pay for billionaire tax breaks, and veterans and our families will pay the price,” said U.S. Marine Corps veteran Oscar Arbulu, who serves as Executive Director of the Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute and is a member of Common Defense.
“Veterans don’t live in a VA bubble. We depend on strong hospitals, mental healthcare, and healthcare in our communities. The Billionaire Tax asks those with the most to help protect the care all of us depend on,” added Arbulu.
The funds from Prop 40 will go to life-saving medical care for seniors, veterans, and families. It will allow millions of Californians to keep their health insurance and not see their premiums skyrocket. It will also help prevent teacher layoffs in our public schools and keep children fed through food assistance programs.
Voters consistently support the California Billionaire Tax by large, double-digit margins. A new poll of likely 2026 California voters found that the billionaire tax holds a strong double-digit, 19-point lead statewide, with voters supporting it by a 57% to 38% margin.
Support rises dramatically among constituencies that form the backbone of the Democratic Party, with 80% of Democrats, 70% of union members, 63% of teachers, 63% of healthcare workers, and 56% of independent and no-party-preference voters supporting Prop 40.
Prop 40 qualified for the ballot after supporters submitted more than 1.6 million signatures from Californians across the state — nearly twice the number required to qualify — making it one of the strongest citizen-led ballot qualification efforts in California history.
California’s more than 400 hospitals statewide have already laid off more than 3,400 healthcare workers, and a second wave of layoffs is expected as funding cuts from Trump’s “Big, Ugly Bill” hit healthcare providers. Statewide, projections show the cuts could result in the loss of up to 145,000 healthcare jobs, impacting hospitals, clinics, and home care providers.
California has already been grappling with a longstanding shortage of healthcare workers, leaving hospitals and clinics stretched thin even before Trump’s cuts.
Without revenue from Prop 40, these federal healthcare cuts are expected to put an estimated 83 California hospitals and clinics at risk of closure. Cuts and closures have already started, impacting communities from Los Angeles to Oakland to Glenn County.
“Veterans for Prop 40” will reach voters through digital and traditional platforms, and is slated to air during a range of television events, including during upcoming Giants, Padres, and Dodgers baseball games.
Veterans and Military Families
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, nearly 1 in 8 California veterans are enrolled in Medicaid. And across the United States, 3.4 million children of veterans depend on Medicaid for healthcare.
According to Modern Medicaid Assistance, many veterans and their families fall outside the VA system due to eligibility restrictions, geographic barriers or other administrative challenges. Medicaid helps close these gaps by covering a wide range of services, including:
- Mental and behavioral health care.
- Treatment for substance use disorders.
- Preventive care and chronic disease management.
- Home and community-based services (HCBS).
- Health coverage for military spouses and children.
For many military families with lower incomes, Medicaid can be the difference between having access to timely, essential care or going without it.
About Prop 40, the California Billionaire Tax Act
Trump’s “Big, Ugly Bill” slashed funding for healthcare in California to pay for more billionaire tax breaks. These cuts eliminate healthcare coverage for up to 3.4 million Californians and double health insurance premiums for millions more. Prop 40, the California Billionaire Tax Act, will make billionaires finally pay their fair share in taxes to keep local hospitals and ERs open and healthcare affordable for millions of Californians.
Vote YES on Prop 40 to save lives, tax billionaires.
Original article disclosure
Paid for by Yes on 40 – Billionaire Tax Now, Sponsored by Service Employees International Union – United Healthcare Workers West. Committee’s Top Funder Service Employees International Union – United Healthcare Workers West