“Trump, Elon and the budget Republicans (have) proposed is waging a war against our communities. They’re planning to cut more than $2 trillion from programs and services our communities need: Things like housing, food, Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security and more are on the chopping block. They are stealing from us to fatten their pockets. We cannot let that happen.”
With these words Reverend Chris Gillium, a member and leader of Communities United for Action (CUFA) in Ohio, opened a Town Hall at Christ Cathedral in Cincinnati with U.S. Rep. Greg Landsman, for members to share their stories and discuss the harms the deep cuts to essential services which have been proposed by Congressional Republicans and the Trump administration would have on our communities and families, in an event hosted by CUFA with Community Change Action.
“Medicaid for me means being able to pay for my son’s medication,” said Jessica Thompson, a Cincinnati mother of four who would have to pay over $2500 a month for her disabled son’s medication alone without the program. “That’s how we’re able to lead a stable and normal lifestyle. It’s not something he wants, but needs. It’s not something he can go without.”
Landsman thanked CUFA for hosting the forum, and drew attention not only to the deep cuts to services, but to the gutting of essential agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Social Security Administration by firing tens of thousands of civil servants.
“There’s what the administration is doing in terms of indiscriminately firing tens of thousands of people, over a hundred thousand people, a lot of them veterans, withholding tens of billions of dollars from this region alone and an enormous amount of corruption,” Landsman said, pointing to the role of billionaire Elon Musk in driving many of these actions.
“He’s apparently at the helm,” Landsman said of Musk, whose DOGE team is forcing many government agencies fire workers. “He also gave hundreds of millions of dollars to Trump and some of the folks who are running the show in Congress. That to me is a recipe for corruption, when you then go give this donor whatever he wants.”