Dozens were arrested on Capitol Hill Monday amid demonstrations against the GOP’s “big, beautiful bill,” which is full of President Trump’s legislative priorities, including significant cuts to Medicaid and the federal food stamp program.
Capitol Police arrested 38 individuals in the Capitol Rotunda and an intersection nearby. Those taken into custody were charged with crowding, obstructing and incommoding, according to The Associated Press.
Law enforcement did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment on the matter.
Several organizations, including Repairers of the Breach, promoted the demonstrations as the first of “Moral Mondays,” dedicated to railing against the Trump administration’s efforts to cut federal spending and its robust crackdown on illegal immigration.
Those who gathered from the Poor People’s Campaign, an economic justice organization, brought 51 caskets to symbolize the 51,000 deaths the group has estimated would come if Congress moves forward with its sweeping cuts to health care alone.
“The largest ever cuts to America’s safety net were pushed through the House and the Senate without a single hearing for the people whose lives depend on these programs to testify,” Rev. William J. Barber II, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, wrote in a Monday Substack post.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) also joined protestors to hear their stories and speak on the potential impact of Republicans’ spending and tax package.
“An honor to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with @RevDrBarber and @BRepairers to denounce the GOP’s catastrophic tax bill on behalf of tens of millions of Americans who will lose Medicaid, SNAP benefits and other lifeline staples,” Raskin (D-Md.) wrote Monday in a post on social platform X following the gathering.
“Trump’s tactics of disappearing people in America should terrify everyone who still cherishes democracy and freedom,” the Maryland lawmaker added in a later post. “We reject this growing authoritarian assault.”
The arrests come as the Senate pulled an all-nighter vote-a-rama with the goal of moving the legislation — which is not final — forward.
The GOP can only afford to lose three votes in the upper chamber. Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) have already signaled they will not vote in favor of the megabill. With 50 votes, Vice President Vance can cast a tie-breaking vote.
If it clears the Senate, it will go back to the House. Lawmakers in the lower chamber have already voiced concerns over the changes made to its version, which was passed in May.