Atlanta Rally Targets Spending Cuts in Trump's Sweeping Tax and Budget Law
Speakers and attendees at a Saturday demonstration in Atlanta said the federal law signed July 4 will hurt working families and vulnerable communities, one of dozens of similar protests across Georgia and the country.
By Jayden Sweiler · · Originally reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Demonstrators gathered in Atlanta on Saturday to denounce the sweeping budget and tax law that Congress passed earlier this month and President Donald Trump signed, joining dozens of protests held across Georgia and the nation.
The Families First event took place at Impact Church on Sylvan Road. Speakers and attendees argued that the measure harms working families and vulnerable communities by trimming programs tied to 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. He said the full extent of the damage is not yet known, but that it "is going to harm folks in a lot of ways."
Trump signed the legislation on July 4, saying he was keeping campaign promises by cutting $1.5 trillion in spending. The law reduces federal budgets and overhauls Medicaid, student loans, tax policy and clean energy programs. It also extends the tax cuts enacted during Trump's first term in 2017.
Georgia Republicans in Congress backed the measure, among them U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Rich McCormick. In an email to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution earlier in July, Carter praised the Senate for passing it. He said the bill prevents the largest tax hike in American history, eliminates taxes on tips and overtime, secures the southern border, strengthens Medicaid and advances American energy.
Families First, a MoveOn campaign focused on health care access and economic justice, led Saturday's rally. A coalition of groups supported it, including We Dream in Black Georgia, which backs African American domestic workers, and Care Can't Wait, which supports caregiving reforms for older and disabled people. Topics included Medicaid cuts, food stamps, workers' rights, immigration and tax policy.
State Rep. Eric Bell, D-Jonesboro, said the law affects not only his constituents but the broader economy. He described a chain reaction in which people who lose health coverage stop paying providers, and that in turn can mean unpaid rent or mortgages.
Several Georgians shared personal accounts. Helen McLaughlin of Roswell said she is worried about changes to the health care system and about being able to afford a healthy lifestyle. Rebecca Keeble, a disabled volunteer with North Gwinnett Democrats, said attitudes toward people like her have shifted, leaving her feeling she must now protect herself in ways she once did not.
State Sen. Sonya Halpern, D-Atlanta, a former chair of the President's Advisory Committee on the Arts, urged attendees to vote. She said the fight is about dignity and about prioritizing the people she called heroes in their communities, and promised to keep using her voice for "better, not worse, outcomes."
