30-year old Maria Munguia is 4 ½ months pregnant with her seventh child.  She’s come to the Birthing Project Clinic on T street for a checkup.

Maria, like most of the clinic’s patients, relies on Medi-Cal, the State’s
low-income healthcare program.  But without a state budget, places like this aren’t receiving medi-cal reimbursements from the state.  The Birthing Project Clinic delivers 60-70 babies a month, and is in danger of closing.  Munguia says  that would really affect women like her:

“It would put a lot of people out, not knowing where to go or having to find resources of their own, which is going to cost.”

Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez used a visit to the clinic as an opportunity to put pressure on Senate Republicans to pass a budget:

“So that programs like the birthing center and other clinics around the state of California can have the piece of mind that they need to know that they can put their own budgets together, that folks will get paid who work for them and that the people who rely on their services can continue to rely on their services.”

Senate Republicans have said they want more spending cuts and changes to environmental law.  They have offered legislation to provide emergency money in the absence of a spending plan.  Democrats say passing the budget is the quickest way to provide necessary funds.