Fair Share America + Pennsylvanians Together Brought the 14-State, National Campaign to Bucks County, PA to Warn About the Harmful Impacts of the GOP’s Federal Budget + Tax Bill

Find a recap of our morning event at Philadelphia City Hall

Langhorne, PA – On Sunday, June 22nd, Bucks County residents joined the national “Stop the Billionaire Giveaway” bus tour to rally against the massive reconciliation bill in Congress that would transfer record levels of taxpayer dollars to the ultra-rich and corporations. Bucks County was the second Pennsylvania stop on the bus’s three-week, 14-state tour, which kicked off just this weekend in New York.

To request video or photos from the event or to set up an interview, please contact Ashley@fairshareusa.org. 

Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie spoke about the stakes for Bucks County and the damaging redistribution of wealth in the bill:

“There are about 90,000 people in this county who rely on Medicaid. There are about 45,000 people in this county who rely on SNAP. All of them are at risk. Because, simply put, if the funding from the federal government…gets cut as it goes to the state and then comes to us, we do not have the money to carry out the programs to the level they're supposed to be– and we all know the level should be higher.”

“The median income in Bucks County is about $58,000 a year. So imagine, in this, one of the wealthiest counties in Pennsylvania, the median income is equivalent to the tax break you're going to give [to the wealthiest Americans],” said Harvie. (The reconciliation bill would give the richest 1 percent of Pennsylvanians an annual tax cut of $55,140.)

Barbara Lesaint from Yardley Indivisible made sure gathered residents knew which commonly-used PA health plans are at risk: “Geisinger Health Plan [Family], United Healthcare, UPMC for You, HealthPartners plans – are all Medicaid plans and they're offered through COMPASS. This Big, Bad, Bogus Bill plans to cut so much money from the Medicaid budget. It's akin to amputating a leg, and I know what it would mean to me and my family if we didn't have this resource.”

Alexander Anderson an ambassador with PeerNet and Mental Health Partnerships: “I was in and out of hospitals and during one of my treatments, I learned about Certified Peer Specialists and Mental Health Partnerships. This was a turning point for me. Through the help of some great peer specialists, I was able to graduate from college, and I found my voice [and] confidence. With the proposed drastic cuts to Medicaid, mental health services for people like me, who depend upon peer support during the worst times of their lives, are on the line.”

Catherine Leidtke with the Bucks County Opportunity Council, a top anti-poverty program in the area described how already stretched food pantries will struggle even more to feed local residents: “I have been a volunteer for 24 years at the food pantry… Since COVID, everything is down and it's going to get worse for the simple reason that the [cost of] groceries in the stores keep going up.”

Laura Rose, an organizer with Bucks County Indivisible: “This budget's impact on Pennsylvania as a whole is devastating. Taking health care from the sick and food from the hungry so billionaires could buy another yacht or get gold toilets or whatever they do with all the rest of their money. It’s disgusting, and I would say it's unAmerican.”

Debbie Duarte of Bensalem Township shared how her family got by with food assistance when she was a child. Even when her family could afford to feed themselves, the food assistance safety net still served as a balm to their worries about falling backwards financially.

Kristen Crowell, Fair Share America Executive Director thanked Bucks County community organizers and residents for their time and their engagement on these important issues: “This dangerous, disastrous bill touches all of us in one way or another. So we at Fair Share America have been going around the country to make sure that we all have a seat at the table, that we are holding [Washington] accountable, and shining a light on all the harms that would be done if they enact this budget.”

Marc Stier, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Policy Center and a host of the tour’s Pennsylvania events: “There have been many bad cash cuts in our industry that overwhelmingly benefited the rich and wealthy corporations. There have been many efforts to cut the social safety net, but this legislation, this terrible bill, is unique and uniquely bad.”

*Our event partners included: Pennsylvanians Together, Bucks County Indivisible, Yardley Indivisible, Bucks County Opportunity Council, Planned Parenthood PA, Pennsylvania Policy Center

To request video or photos from the event or to set up an interview, please contact Ashley@fairshareusa.org. 

**The full swing through Pennsylvania includes 6 stops: 

Sunday, June 22

• 11AM - Philadelphia City Hall: Find event recap here!

• 2PM - Rep. Fitzpatrick's Office parking lot, Langhorne

Monday, June 23

• 11AM - Payrow Plaza, 10 E Church St, Bethlehem

• 2:30PM - Lackawanna County Courthouse, Scranton

Tuesday, June 24

• 11AM - PA Capitol Fountain Steps, Harrisburg

• 4:30 - Schenley Plaza, 4100 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh

Follow the “Stop the Billionaire Giveaway” bus online and on social media: @FairShare_USA on X and @FairShareAmerica (FB, IG, BS, Threads).

###