Fair Share America Brought the 14-State National Campaign to Iowa to Highlight the Harmful Impacts of the GOP’s Federal Budget + Tax Bill

Davenport, Iowa (June 29, 2025) – Today at Centennial Park, Fair Share America and Unrig our Economy brought the “Stop the Billionaire Giveaway” national bus tour to Davenport for a Faith-based Morality Rally opposing the federal budget reconciliation bill.

Focusing on lawmakers’ decision to cut services to those who need it most just to enrich those who need it least, the group of faith leaders, retirees, and local advocates called out the immorality of the budget package making its way through Congress.

The 45-foot tour bus, wrapped in a giant trillion-dollar bill, headed to Cedar Rapids for the afternoon completing two stops in Iowa to send a clear message to elected officials: working families should not have to pay the price so billionaires and big corporations can get more tax breaks.

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

Kristen Crowell, Executive Director of Fair Share America, grounded the rally in personal testimony and called on Iowans to resist a growing injustice:

“We’re here this morning because this is a personal fight. Regardless of who we voted for eight months ago, what’s happening in Washington, D.C. is different. This is a massive wealth transfer from the working class to the ultra-rich—people who could never spend all the money in their accounts in a lifetime. Meanwhile, 60% of Americans have less than $600 in savings. One dental bill sent me off a cliff. We lost our home. I’m here to say: this is our line in the sand. If Congress votes against us, we will hold them accountable.”

“This is the critical moment. The Senate is advancing this bill, and if it passes, the House is next. We need to flood their offices with our voices. Talk to your neighbors, your families—bring them with you. Let's sign up for action, and let's deny them the paycheck off of our work that they are expecting Donald Trump and the GOP to hand them.”

Rabbi Henry Jay Karp, delivered a searing moral indictment, comparing today’s billionaires to 19th-century robber barons:

“Today’s ultra-rich are obsessed with building rockets to space while 16 million Americans face losing Medicaid. Jeff Bezos just spent over $50 million on a wedding. Why do people with that kind of money need more tax relief? This is not what God calls on us to do. In my faith, we are commanded to care for the sick, the poor, the stranger. So don’t call yourself a Christian, Jew, Muslim, or Hindu if you vote to take food from children or deny someone health care.”

Kay Pence, Executive Vice President of Iowa Alliance For Retired Americans, shared the story of a union member who died after losing access to health care:

“One of our members lost her job and with it, her insurance. She couldn’t afford COBRA. She avoided the doctor, was misdiagnosed at urgent care, and died of untreated cancer. That death was preventable. And now they want to create more stories like hers by gutting Medicaid? We’ve seen the cost of doing nothing. And we know people will fall through the cracks again. People will die, and that's not okay.”

Maria Taylor, a COVID survivor, spoke to the life-or-death stakes of Medicaid:

"Without Medicaid, I would be six feet in the ground. If I didn't have Medicaid, I would not have gone to the hospital, because I was not going to place that burden on my husband, my parents, and the rest of my family. Medicaid didn't just cover a hospital stay—it covered my follow-up care, physical therapy, speech therapy, and the mental health support that I needed to survive the trauma of nearly dying. It let me heal without the constant terror of how I would ever be able to afford it all.

“Medicaid gave me dignity when I had nothing else to hold on to. Now Congresswoman Marionette Miller Meeks and congressional Republicans are pushing to slash that lifeline, proposing cruel cuts to Medicaid funding and adding burdensome work reporting requirements. Let me be clear: these are not budget numbers, these are death sentences for thousands of people like me.

Jay Williams, a grandfather from Bettendorf, gave a heartfelt testimony alongside his grandson:

“My grandson Hayden was severely burned as an infant—third-degree burns over 30% of his body. He’s had 14 surgeries, trauma counseling, dental work—and Medicaid paid for all of it. It gave our family stability and let Hayden grow up surrounded by love, not debt. Medicaid shouldn’t be a luxury. Living a life is about more than surviving—it’s about quality of life, too. And thanks to Medicaid, Hayden has that.”

Sue Dinsdale, Executive Director of Iowa Citizen Action Network, challenged Iowa’s congressional leaders directly:

"I try to live by the mantra: it doesn't have to happen to you for it to matter to you. We know that this big, brutal bill moving through Congress will only make our broken system worse—ripping away health care and food assistance for millions, all while raising prices to give billionaires another tax break. So why do we keep hearing from Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Joni Ernst, and the rest of them that there's no money for Social Security, no money for food assistance, no money for Medicaid, no money for public schools—and, oh yeah, we're all going to die? The reality is: we will die sooner rather than later if this ridiculous, brutal bill goes through.”

** The full swing through Iowa included two stops:

Sunday, June 29

• 11:30 AM - Centennial Park in Davenport

• 3PM - CR Downtown Public Library in Cedar Rapids

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