May 13, 2025 - Politics & Policy

Capitol Police arrest 25 people protesting GOP budget bill

A police officer reaching for a seated woman wearing a denim jacket sitting in a cream-colored room. — Demonstrators opposing cuts to Medicaid funding are removed by Capitol Police from a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington on May 13. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

The Capitol Police said Tuesday they arrested 25 demonstrators at the Rayburn House Office building who were protesting Republicans' budget reconciliation bill.

Why it matters: The raucous protest comes as Democrats are trying to furiously counter the bill's cuts to Medicaid and other welfare programs.

"Around 2 p.m., 25 people were arrested for illegally demonstrating in the Rayburn House Office Building," a Capitol Police spokesperson told Axios.
"It is against the law to protest inside the Congressional Buildings," the spokesperson said. "More arrests are currently being made."

Zoom in: A trio of Senate Democrats — Hawaii's Brian Schatz, Minnesota's Tina Smith and New Jersey's Cory Booker — crossed the Capitol on Tuesday to speak up at the Energy and Commerce Committee's markup about the impact that cuts to Medicaid would have on their states.

Every Democratic governor told Axios on Monday that they wouldn't be able to make up for the loss of federal funding.

Add Axios on Google

Capitol Police arrest 25 people protesting GOP budget bill

What to read next