The left-leaning activist organization “Unrig Our Economy”, which supports higher taxes and greater government control of health care, put $200,000 behind an ad attacking Republican Rep. Tom Kean, Jr. (NJ) for his vote on the One Big Beautiful Bill.
The ad’s message is at best disingenuous. But its the group’s choice of messenger that has raised alarm bells.
The ad portrays “Theresa” as a normal New Jersey voter concerned about her children’s future. But in reality she is Theresa Grimm Luoni, a longtime Democrat activist with a history of fearmongering about alleged Republican Medicaid cuts.
In May 2025, Luoni spoke at an ACLU New Jersey Virtual Town Hall, publicizing the event in a Facebook post with language mirroring her script in the “Unrig Our Economy” ad.
“Medicaid is under threat — and that means real lives, real families, and real futures are at risk,” she said. “As a parent and full-time caregiver to two profoundly autistic children, this fight is deeply personal for me.”
Luoni warned of “the devastating impact of the proposed Medicaid cuts” in the House version of the one big beautiful bill, which did not become law after extensive changes in the Senate.
The activist spoke at a rally for Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) in April in Whitehouse Station, NJ. “Honored to be speaking at this event, highlighting the real and lasting impact of the cuts to Medicaid,” she posted on Facebook. “These changes aren’t just numbers on a budget — they affect real people, families, and communities. I’m grateful for the chance to amplify voices that too often go unheard and to stand with those fighting for access to healthcare as a human right.”
Just days before, Luoni spoke at a town hall for Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ). “I invite everyone who shares my passion for empowering human dignity and human rights to join forces, as we collectively craft a brighter future where every voice resonates and is cherished,” she posted on Facebook ahead of her speech.
In a June 2025 op-ed, she wrote that lawmakers who talk about “cutting costs” by cutting Medicaid are “committing a massacre on the most vulnerable citizens” to “fund tax breaks for billionaires.”
“They are taking aim at children like mine, seniors in nursing homes, people with disabilities, working-class families with nowhere else to turn,” Luoni wrote, adding “the choice to enrich the wealthiest Americans while denying basic healthcare to children, seniors, and disabled people isn’t just immoral — it’s a direct attack on families like mine, who have already sacrificed everything we can.”
The National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC) struck back at Democrats for their deceptive messaging on the one big, beautiful bill.
“Democrats have nothing but lies, and this inflammatory ad puts it on full display,” NRCC Spokeswoman Maureen O’Toole told Breitbart News. “Rep Tom Kean Jr. voted to protect and preserve Medicaid for vulnerable communities, and Democrats’ desperate fearmongering does nothing to change that.”
Despite protests from Democrat politicians and activists, Republicans say Kean’s vote was a vote to protect Medicaid, not cut it.
The bill cuts out waste, fraud, and abuse from Medicaid by removing from the rolls illegal immigrants, able-bodied adults — who choose not to work — and ineligible recipients who otherwise would not be eligible for the program. It also enacts basic work requirements to ensure individuals are employed, participating in job training, or going to school or volunteering to qualify for Medicaid, while exempting Americans under 19 or over 65 years old, as well as pregnant women, tribal members, caregivers of children with disabilities, and parents with dependents under 15.
Most Americans agree that able-bodied, unemployed adults on Medicaid should work or give back to their communities to receive taxpayer-provided healthcare.
Democrats might want to get the message.
Bradley Jaye is Deputy Political Editor for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter and Instagram @BradleyAJaye.
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