"What they're doing with the budget is [destroying] community," Rep. Nancy Pelosi said.Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Zuma

At a 24-hour vigil to protect Medicaid on the National Mall in Washington, DC, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) was to the point: to protect democracy, Medicaid has to be protected, too.

The vigil, which kicked off Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET, is hosted by the advocacy group Caring Across Generations and will be livestreamed until it ends Thursday; beyond Raskin, the event featured speakers including Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) alongside disability advocates and Medicaid users, in response to a series of White House attacks and cuts on health services spearheaded by President Donald Trump, his advisor Elon Musk,........

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