‘Families First’ rally draws those angered by cuts in Trump budget bill

The San Diego County Administration Building is shown on Jan. 12, 2021. (Photo by Zoë Meyers/inewsource) Roughly 150 people Saturday spoke out against government cuts to Medicaid during a downtown rally , a union spokeswoman said. Protesters at the event, called “Families First National Day of Action,” demanded that Congress repeal the cuts and “hold billionaires accountable.” The San Diego event was one of more than 200 scheduled across the country. “Working families must come first,” said Renee Saldaña, an official with Service Employees International Union and United Healthcare Workers. “This crisis is statewide and worsening, driven by a federal budget that prioritizes corporate profits over people.” Saldaña said health care workers shared how these cuts at Sharp HealthCare have already led to 315 layoffs, affecting hundreds of families. Those still working are stretched thin, risking patient care,” Saldana said. Sharp HealthCare on June 30 announced the cuts, saying they were due to economic conditions having “dramatically changed over the last five years,” according to a statement from the company. Speakers at Saturday’s event, at Waterfront Park, outside the San Diego County Administration Building, included Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-San Diego, County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre, former state Sen. Toni Atkins and Bridgette Browning of the San Diego & Imperial Counties Labor Council. Earlier this month, the Republican-controlled Congress passed H.R. 1, including sharp cuts to numerous programs, including Medicaid, on a party-line vote. President Donald Trump then signed the budget into law on July 4. In late May, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, described the bill as “nation-shaping legislation that reduces spending, permanently lowers taxes for families and job creators, secures the border, unleashes American energy dominance, restores peace through strength and makes government work more efficiently and effectively for all Americans.” Organizers of Saturday’s rallies, though, called the cuts a result of “Congress’s cruel actions.” Their concerns focused on defunding of healthcare for 17 million Americans, cuts to food assistance, and a jump in funding for immigration enforcement. Partners include the National Domestic Workers Alliance, SEIU, MoveOn, Community Change Action, Caring Across Generations, MomsRising and Planned Parenthood.