An aging Democrat congresswoman reportedly took a fall on the House Floor while she was on an anti-Trump rant protesting the passage of the “Big Beautiful Bill,” in which she claimed that Republicans were pressured into supporting the key piece of legislation and that its passing would cause scores of deaths.
For background, according to press accounts, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), 81, took a fall while sharing a statement about what she called the “Big Ugly Bill” following its passage, saying that House Republicans were “bullied” into supporting the bill, and stating that the legislation will lead to tens of thousands of deaths each year.
The news of Rep. Schakowsky’s fall came from independent journalist Ken Klippenstein, who wrote a post on X on July 2, 2025, that later went viral. In his post, Klippenstein wrote, “81-year-old Democratic congresswoman Jan Schakowsky just suffered a fall on the House floor, per Axios’ @AndrewSolender.”
However, Rep. Schakowsky was apparently unharmed by her fall and delivered a major tirade on the House floor condemning the Big Beautiful Bill. In her statement, she said that the House floor “is now a crime scene,” adding, “In the dead of night, House Republicans jammed through their big ugly bill to gut Medicaid and rip health care away from more than 16 million Americans.” She continued, “When enacted, this horrific law will lead to 51,000 deaths each year.”
Continuing her rant, Rep. Schakowsky said that when the bill is passed, it will lead to hospital closures and will “defund Planned Parenthood, cutting off millions from access to cancer screenings, birth control, and reproductive health services.” She then stated that the bill would “raise energy bills by hundreds of dollars every year.”
Moreover, the congresswoman claimed that her office phones “have been ringing off the hook” and that her constituents “are agonized and do not know how they will survive.” She added, “Slashing Medicaid is not just heartless, it is dangerous, puts lives at risk, and undermines our entire health care system.”
Next, Rep. Schakowsky turned up the heat in her condemnation of House Republicans, saying that they advocated for “a reckless, partisan agenda that punishes seniors, poor people, and sick individuals.” She continued, “This bill will cause health care workers to lose jobs, hospitals to become overwhelmed and close, and will impact care for all Americans —all in the name of tax cuts for the wealthy.”
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Concluding her statement, the congresswoman accused Republicans of being “bullied into going against their beliefs” for the purpose of getting the bill to President Trump’s desk “by an arbitrary deadline.” She added, ” The American people will not forget, and these lawmakers will not be able to hide from the consequences. The fight goes on, and my top priority remains protecting the health and dignity of every American.”
Featured image credit: Rep. Jan Shakowsky via Facebook