Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
In response to threats against essential public programs that we all rely on, AFSCME members mobilized in more than a dozen cities, on Capitol Hill and online for a powerful week of action to tell Congress to put working families over billionaire tax breaks.
The U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass a budget bill late last month that would slash essential services like Medicaid, food assistance and more, all while giving massive tax cuts to the ultrawealthy. This bill—now in the U.S. Senate—would also throw state budgets into chaos, leading to AFSCME member layoffs. So members jumped into action, attending letter-writing events, rallies and other public actions targeting key lawmakers.
“I was raised on Medicaid, and without it, I can’t say I’d be here today,” AFSCME Retiree Sheila Bennett, president of Retiree Chapter 1199C, said. “Because of programs like Medicaid and nutrition assistance, I was able to get the health care I needed, have healthy meals, and make a life for myself. That’s what we’re here to protect.”