Sharing personal stories, statewide data, and personal experiences, legislators urge Republicans at the state and federal level to join them in opposing cuts to critical social safety net programs
HARRISBURG, PA − Junio 2, 2025 − On Lunes, Junio 2, Senate and House Democrats banded together for a rally in the Capitol to raise awareness of the catastrophic impacts Trump’s budget proposal would have on Pennsylvania’s families. Together, Senators and Representatives called on their Republican colleagues to join them in defending access to care, medication, and healthy food that Trump and Musk’s DOGE cuts threaten to rip away.
“Our message is extremely simple: Care, not cuts,” said Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa. “It is not too late for Republicans who represent Pennsylvanians in the halls of power to join us in condemning a budget bill that will take care from our grandparents, food from our babies, and hospitals for our communities. We cannot stand idly by and allow this bill to move forward, and we call on our colleagues across the aisle to raise their voices with us in defense of every Pennsylvanian.”
“We are part of a coalition of state legislators from across the country who are calling out the big, ugly bill and the damage it will do to our constituents. There is no state in the country who has the capacity to cover the cuts that are included in this bill,” said Senator Vincent Hughes, Senate Democratic Appropriations Chair. “The United States is the richest country in the world. We should be having a conversation about how to expand healthcare, education support, food support for families, and jobs that pay better wages, but instead we’re forced to talk about this big, ugly bill.”
On Mayo 22, a budget bill that would strip 15 million Americans of health insurance and 3 million families of healthy food was passed in the US House of Representatives. This legislation will be detrimental to Pennsylvania communities and puts incredible pressure on the PA state budget to bridge the funding gap the federal government threatens to create. These cuts will be especially harmful to rural areas, where hospitals, often the largest employers of the areas, are the backbone of economies.
“The huge ugly bill would carry out the greatest redistribution of income from people at the bottom and middle of the income distribution to the top,” said Marc Stier, Executive Director of the PA Policy Center. “The cuts to Medicaid and SNAP total $1.1 trillion dollars over ten years. And households with incomes over $500,000 a year receive a $1.1 trillion dollar tax cut. People use Medicaid and SNAP temporarily, to overcome short term difficulties they face. So while 3 million Pennsylvanians are currently benefiting from Medicaid and 2 million from SNAP, over a five year period perhaps twice that many take advantage of these program.”
“The Trump Administration has been unleashing chaos for nearly six months, and the Big Bad Bill that Congress approved continues with careless cuts that will harm access to health care in communities across the commonwealth, while weakening our state’s economy,” said Speaker of the House of Representatives Joanna McClinton. “Pennsylvanians deserve more from elected officials in Washington. Here in Harrisburg, we will not give up the fight to help families and communities thrive.”
Already, Trump and Musk’s federal cuts have begun to inhibit programs that support Pennsylvania farmers, families with young babies, and older Pennsylvanians: The Farmers Market Nutrition Program, which helps low-income seniors access healthy local produce, has had to roll back its anticipated distribution. Per the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, each WIC agency expects to receive approximately 49% of their requested quantity of vouchers, and each Senior agency expects approximately 74% of their requested quantity of vouchers.
“The Republican plan is a trillion-dollar attack on the dignity of working families, children, seniors, and people with disabilities. It guts healthcare, food, and housing support while protecting billionaire tax breaks,” said Senator Art Haywood. “Every day, I hear from Pennsylvanians who fear what will happen to them and their loved ones if Medicaid and Medicare are slashed. I challenge anyone who supports these cuts to say it directly to the thousands who rely on them. Congress must reject this cruel legislation.”
“For four months the Trump administration has done everything in their power to make life miserable for working families to fund tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy,” said Representative Malcolm Kenyatta. “This bill breaks every promise the President made to working families. The US Senate must reject it!”
“My first professional oath was not as a legislator, but as a physician to do no harm and advocate for the health and well-being of my patients and community,” said Representative Arvind Venkat. “As an emergency physician, I have seen how Medicaid is critical to ensuring all Pennsylvanians have access to care. I can state unequivocally that the dangerous and morally bankrupt attempt by President Trump and Congressional Republicans to rip away Medicaid and healthcare access from hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians will cost lives. We must raise our voice to oppose this devastating proposal for the health and well-being of the residents of our Commonwealth.”
Downloadable footage of today’s presser is available here. Still photographs are available upon request.
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