Orange County Dems host town hall in Orlando Thursday on state and federal budgets

Orange County Democrats, responding to state and federal budget proposals, are hosting a town hall in Orlando on Thursday at the local firefighters’ union hall. Headlining speakers will include Orlando-area U.S. Congressman Maxwell Frost, local state Rep. Anna Eskamani and state Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith.

The town hall, announced Wednesday, will give attendees an update on a controversial budget proposal recently approved by the Republican-controlled U.S. House, as well as the latest update on stalled efforts to hammer out a state budget closer to home in Tallahassee. The town hall event, expected to last about 90 minutes, will also leave space for a question-and-answer period at the end.

“At a time when working families are struggling to afford housing, health care and groceries, Republicans are prioritizing tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy while slashing life-saving programs like Medicaid and food assistance,” said Samuel Vilchez-Santiago, chair of the Orange County Democrats, in a statement. “We’re organizing this town hall to expose these dangerous budget cuts, demonstrate how they impact regular Floridians, and mobilize our community to fight back.”

Democrats across the U.S. have been organizing town halls in recent months to mobilize people who are dissatisfied with the current state of affairs under the Trump administration. Some organizers have aimed to highlight the comparative silence from certain GOP members of Congress, including those in Florida, who have gone along with efforts to slash public health programs and social welfare programs like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that millions of Floridians rely upon.

According to the Florida Policy Institute, the Congressional GOP’s current proposal, titled the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” would cut $1 trillion from SNAP and Medicaid over the next nine years, while extending $4.5 trillion in tax cuts that would disproportionately benefit the wealthy. The proposal was approved last week by a 215-214 vote in the U.S. House, with every Democrat voting no. Just two Republicans (neither from Florida) joined Democrats in opposition. It now heads to the U.S. Senate for a final vote.

“No child or adult in Florida should have to go hungry, nor should they be forced to forgo health care due to a lack of access and affordability. Our congressional delegation should instead focus on improving the SNAP program so more families can put food on the table, and so that more communities can benefit from an economic boost as Floridians spend SNAP at local grocery stores and businesses,” said Florida Policy Institute CEO Sadaf Knight in a statement. “They should be working to ensure that more Floridians are able to access lifesaving health care coverage. The Senate must reject this disastrous legislation — millions of Floridians’ health and well-being hang in the balance.”

Meanwhile, in Florida, the Republican-controlled state legislature has failed to agree on a state budget for the next fiscal year that begins July 1. “This failure reveals a broken system dominated by partisan games and extremist priorities, where culture wars take precedence over real solutions to the challenges Floridians face,” the Orange County Democrats said in a press release.

While Florida’s 60-day regular legislative session was scheduled to end May 2, state lawmakers failed to do the one thing they are constitutionally required to do during these annual sessions: approve a state budget for the next fiscal year. The current fiscal year ends June 30. If state lawmakers don’t pass a budget before then, the state could face a government shutdown. The primary hold-up on reaching a deal is disagreement between the state House and Senate on tax cuts.

The Orange County Democrats’ town hall, open to all members of the public regardless of party affiliation, will be taking place Thursday at 5 p.m. at the Orange County Firefighters Association Hall at 6969 Venture Circle in Orlando. You can find more information or RSVP to attend here.

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This article appears in Summer Guide 2025.