Donald Williams, retired after 30 years as a Navy helicopter gunner, is worried about possible cuts to veterans programs he relies on to help him with post-traumatic stress disorder that continues years after his service.

So too is Mariana Gracia, whose Army vet husband, Agustin, relies on the Veterans Administration to treat debilitating conditions, including Gulf War Illness and chronic fatigue syndrome.

“VA health cuts would impact my husband in such a way that he could actually lose his life,” she said. “My husband is being treated at the eye clinic, neurology, pulmonology, allergy clinic, dermatology, and many other clinics with doctors and nurses.”

Karen Fortman is concerned about the impact of proposed reductions in funding for the Medicaid health program, which is funding essential care for her daughter, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 6 months and is now in her 40s.

Williams, Gracia and Fortman were among the two dozen people who appeared Thursday at events organized by three members of Congress who represent most of the residents of Broward and Palm Beach counties.

At news conferences, roundtable discussions, listening sessions and on social media, U.S. Reps. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Lois Frankel and Debbie Wasserman Schultz highlighted what they said were the impacts to Floridians of decisions made in Washington, D.C., by President Donald Trump; his partner in slashing the federal government, Elon Musk; and congressional Republicans, who are crafting plans for more extensive budget cutting.

Shelley Gottsagen’s son is 39 and has Down syndrome. She has no idea what he will do if government health programs are slashed.

And Jasmine Simplice relied on Medicaid when she was pregnant with her daughter, now four months old. “If it wasn’t for Medicaid, I would not have been able to afford the prenatal care.”

Dr. Lisa Gwynn, past president of the Florida chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said cutting the federal-state health Medicaid program would mean sicker kids, many of whom would eventually arrive at emergency departments with more serious and expensive illnesses.

The members of Congress are trying to convince people that the results of a month of complete Republican control of the federal government are bad, and from their perspective, going to get worse.

The overarching messages were similar, though there were subtle differences in emphasis and style among the three South Florida Democrats.

Wasserman Schultz emphasized preservation of veterans programs. Frankel emphasized Medicaid.

Cherfilus-McCormick emphasized the services federal employees provide in South Florida, appearing with representatives of three public employee unions, including those for people who work in Social Security offices and for the Transportation Security Administration.

Wasserman Schultz, the senior Democrat in the Florida congressional delegation, a co-chair of the House Steering and Policy Committee, and former chair of the Democratic National Committee, used the sharpest rhetoric.

“Republicans are stealing health care away from millions of people that need and rely on that care, and they’re doing it all so they can deliver more huge tax breaks to millionaires, billionaires, and big corporations,” she said in Sunrise. “Don’t listen to their lies, just look at their actions. Don’t listen to what they are saying they’re doing. Look at their actions.”

Wasserman Schultz implored people not to tune out.

“It might be hard to be shocked anymore because some people, in order to protect their own hearts and mental health, become desensitized to it. But this is venal depravity. These actions, these reckless, idiotic, indiscriminate cuts are being carried out in gravely harmful ways,” she said. “It’s one of the most grotesque abuses of power I’ve ever seen.”

During her roundtable in West Palm Beach, Frankel didn’t mention Musk or his DOGE, the widely known name for what Trump and Musk call the “Department of Government Efficiency” effort to make major changes in the federal government.

Cherfilus-McCormick, at a Fort Lauderdale news conference, was critical of “overreaching” by DOGE, but didn’t mention Musk. Wasserman Schultz went after Musk and DOGE — and used the terms “dogebag” and “dogebags.”

Wasserman Schultz said Democrats want people to share their stories about the importance of federal programs — and act as whistleblowers if they see inappropriate activities.

Cherfilus-McCormick said her office is hearing a “massive” amount of concern from constituents.

“It’s vital to remember that these actions have real consequences for real people,” Cherfilus-McCormick said. “These actions affect every American whether you know it or not. If our Social Security workers are fired, who will ensure payments get to our seniors? If our doctors and nurses are fired from the VA, who will take care of our veterans? This affects us all, our friends, our families, and our neighbors.”

Neither Wasserman Schultz nor Cherfilus-McCormick said they’d favor using a hard-line tactic: refusing to vote for spending authority once the current budget runs out on March 14, a move some activists have advocated as a way to put a spotlight on Republican priorities, which they don’t believe will ultimately prove popular.

“As far as leveraging our votes to stop a budget bill, I don’t think that’s where we should be. We should be at the place of influence, where we can work together to get this done for the people,” Cherfilus-McCormick said. “This is not a partisan issue. This is a people issue.”

A Quinnipiac Poll released Wednesday found voters, including Democrats, aren’t impressed with how Democrats in Congress are performing.

Quinnipiac found 21% of voters approve of the way Democrats in Congress are handling their job — an all-time low — with 68% disapproving. Even among Democratic voters, Quinnipiac reported 40% approve and 49% disapprove of the way the party’s members of Congress are doing their job.

Among all voters, Republicans in Congress have 40% approval — a record high — and 52% disapproval. Republican voters are overwhelmingly supportive of their party’s congressional performance, with 79% approval and 10% disapproval.

Quinnipiac found Trump was slightly underwater, with 45% of votes viewing him favorably and 49% unfavorably.

Musk fared worse, with 38% viewing him favorably and 50% unfavorably. The political action committee associated with the progressive organization MoveOn.org said Thursday its latest messaging campaign includes two billboards along Interstate 95 in Palm Beach County. They show Musk as a puppet master pulling Trump’s strings and ask the question, “Who’s the boss?”

Fortman is a longtime Democratic activist and is president of Broward’s Council of Democratic Club Presidents.

She said she, her husband and daughter April wanted to show that federal programs help a wide range of people, hoping to convey “how each of us is dealing with what’s going on with the federal government and how it affects our families, how it affects our neighbors and how it affects our communities.”

Williams, the Navy vet who served in combat, voted for Trump the first time he ran for president, in 2016.

“I thought he was for the military and veterans, but I don’t think he is.” He didn’t vote for Trump in 2020 or 2024, he said.

Williams said reductions in VA staff mean the government isn’t living up to the promises it made.

“I signed the dotted line and I served for 30 years. I signed a contract with America, a contract to do anything that was required of me. And when I signed that contract, I was told that with this contract, once you get out of the military, we will take care of you,” he said. “I did every single thing I was supposed to do in the military for 30 long years and I expect — well, I demand — the same thing in return.”

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