A protest Saturday in Atlanta was one of dozens in the state and nationwide to target the “big, beautiful bill” passed earlier this month by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump.
Attendees and speakers during the Families First demonstration at Impact Church on Sylvan Road criticized the law. They said it harmed working families and vulnerable communities by trimming programs associated with Medicaid, food assistance and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“The pain is just beginning,” said David Schaefer, vice president of research and policy at the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute. “We don’t know all the ways that this is going to harm folks, but it’s going to harm folks in a lot of ways.
Credit: Zaire Breedlove
Credit: Zaire Breedlove
Trump signed the bill July 4, saying he was making good on campaign promises by cutting $1.5 trillion in spending.
The “big, beautiful bill” slashes federal budgets and overhauls Medicaid, student loans, tax policy and clean energy programs. It also extends the 2017 Trump-era tax cuts.
Georgia Republicans supported the legislation, including U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Rich McCormick.
“I applaud the Senate for passing President Donald Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill,” Carter wrote in an email to the AJC earlier in July. “This bill prevents the largest tax hike in American history, eliminates taxes on tips and overtime, secures our southern border, unleashes American energy dominance, strengthens Medicaid, and delivers on President Donald Trump’s mandate to Make American Great Again.”
Saturday’s rally, led by Families First and supported by a coalition of organizations such as We Dream in Black Georgia and Care Can’t Wait, addressed issues such as Medicaid cuts, food stamps, workers’ rights, immigration and tax cuts. Families First, a MoveOn campaign, focuses on health care access and economic justice for Families, while We Dream in Black Georgia and Care Can’t Wait support African American domestic workers and caregiving reforms for the elderly and disabled, respectively.
Speakers included local leaders, who criticized the bill’s impact on their communities. Georgia state Rep. Eric Bell, D-Jonesboro, said the “big, beautiful bill” affects not only his constituents but the economy as a whole.
“When they lose health care, that means their providers aren’t getting paid anymore. When their providers aren’t getting paid anymore, that looks like the landlord or the tenant or a mortgage not getting paid anymore,” Bell said.
Several Georgians shared personal stories about how Trump-backed policies might disrupt access to medical care. Among them was Helen McLaughlin of Roswell, who explained the hardships she fears.
“I’m very concerned about all the horrible changes that are happening, not just to the health care system but just being able to afford a healthy lifestyle.” McLaughlin said.
Rebecca Keeble, a volunteer with North Gwinnett Democrats who is disabled, said apathy and changes have led to aggression toward against people like her.
“A segment of society changed their attitudes toward me drastically. After that, it made it so I have to protect myself, and I didn’t have to before. I could move without much problem of my safety.” Keeble said.
Georgia state Sen. Sonya Halpern, D-Atlanta, former chair of the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts, advised rallygoers to vote.
“This fight is and this bill is not just about health care, wages or policy. It’s really about dignity, and it is really prioritizing the people who are the heroes in our community,” Halpern said. “So as long as I have a voice, I will use it always to fight for better, not worse, outcomes for our communities.”
Credit: Zaire Breedlove
Credit: Zaire Breedlove
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