14-State National Campaign Stopped in Somerville On Day 1 of Grassroots Effort to Stop GOP’s Devastating Federal Budget + Tax Bill

Somerville, NJ – Fair Share America, For the Many NJ, Unrig Our Economy, and partners* brought the “Stop the Billionaire Giveaway” national bus tour to Somerville this afternoon on the very first day of the tour to rally community members against the devastating impacts of the GOP’s federal budget and tax proposal on New Jersey families, communities, and economy.

The 45-foot tour bus, wrapped in a giant trillion-dollar bill, stopped in Somerville on the first day of its three-week, 14-state journey to send one clear message: working-class families should not have to pay the price so billionaires and big corporations can get more tax breaks.

To request photos or video from the event, please email kristin@fairshareusa.org.

Local residents heard from Fair Share America Executive Director Kristen Crowell:

“We, the families and communities that will be most harmed and most impacted by this bill, are coming together [like] we have never seen before. And over the next over the next three weeks, this bus will be going coast to coast, from New York to California, and making over 30 stops to bring the American public together to push back against the billionaire class that is hijacking our politics and looking to make themselves further rich off of the backs of our work and our tax dollars.”

“The rich have gotten richer by exploiting workers, our youth, our families, the environment, and they're using that wealth, and they're using that power that they've achieved to further enrich themselves. So we're going to stand against that today,” said Eric Benson, NJ for the Many.

New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller, who represents nearly 200,000 educators in the state, said this tour is happening at a moment when democracy has called people to action: “It is a chance for every single person to see what is at stake, to understand that sometimes, sometimes a democracy calls you to action.”

Dr. Victor Sloan, a member of the Committee to Protect Health Care, challenged GOP claims that proposed cuts to Medicaid are designed to target fraud, waste and abuse:

“My longtime patient, Amanda [(not her real name)], had severe lupus, complicated by bone and lung disease. She had a wonderful four-year-old son for whom she was the sole caregiver. She wasn't lazy, staying home playing video games. She was a chronically ill woman caring for a child. Sadly, she's no longer with us, but our friends and neighbors are still here, and they deserve health care, not insults. So don't be fooled: these cuts to Medicaid are just a massive wealth transfer from people who rely on Medicaid for their health care to the Uber wealthy.”

“People with Medicaid are the least likely to have medical debt, which means they get the care they need which means they come to the doctor when they need it, not when it's too late, which means lower cost for all of us,” Dr. Sloan also pointed out. “It's way cheaper to treat somebody's high blood pressure than to treat their heart attack or stroke.”

“Life is already hard for families that are living on the fringes, and this bill will make them even harder…paid family leave and paid sick days and affordable child care do not exist at the federal level, and now with Trump and the Republicans efforts to cut Medicaid, SNAP and other safety nets, it's clear that those in power do not value families,” said Yarrow Willman-Cole, workplace justice program director at New Jersey Citizen Action.

*Our event partners included: NJ For the Many, Make the Road New Jersey, Citizen Action NJ, Committee to Protect Health Care, Our Revolution NJ.

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

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