16-state national campaign held Georgia Town Hall on the harm for working people, and how fairer taxes could fund priorities that help all people thrive (not just billionaires)

Savannah, Georgia (August 1, 2025) – This evening, Fair Share America, Unrig our Economy, Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy Georgia, and state partners held a community town hall in Savannah as part of the “Stop the Billionaire Giveaways” national bus tour on how the new budget and tax bill will harm working people and families.

The 45-foot tour bus, wrapped in a giant trillion-dollar bill, brought together local leaders and community members for a town hall to lift up personal stories of citizens, highlight the harms, and hold Georgia’s lawmakers accountable for their votes for the devastating law.

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

Kristen Crowell, Executive Director, Fair Share America:

“When that big terrible bill passed last month, it was a gut punch. Every leader who voted for it, including all of Georgia's Republican Representatives in Congress, chose to put billionaires over working people. For decades, leaders in DC have rigged the system against everyday Americans and now we're saying hell no, and never again.

“They want us to feel bad. They want us to give up on this country. They want us to feel small and pathetic and useless. But all I see all across the country on this bus tour is the exact opposite. I see more hope, more power, more vision, more clarity, more righteousness, more better damn ideas than those folks in Washington DC would ever know what to do with. ... We're building a new future where all of us have a seat at the table, where there are enough monies and enough resources in this country to make sure that there is no more suffering.”

State Senator Jason Esteves:

"We have families across this state, across this city, that are struggling to get health care, to get housing, to get a quality education for their children, and that's why it angers me. Because what we've seen out of Washington DC is politicians putting billionaires over people.... Do not let them distract you, because they will blame all kinds of other folks. They will blame immigrants, they will blame LGBTQ families, they will blame the labor unions. But I haven't seen a labor union that's trying to take away your health insurance. I haven't seen an immigrant who's going and shutting down nursing homes. But I have seen millionaires do it."

Keauna Gregory, Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy:

"I am a Medicaid baby, born in 1983 in Calhoun, Georgia. I am a former free lunch and reduced lunch kid. I am someone who has depended so much on social programs to get me to the point I am in my life. So what I really want to say about this big ugly bill is: cruelty is the point. These people, who would seek to harm the most vulnerable amongst us for nothing more than greed -- it is inhumane. So we will stand in the gap, and we will keep fighting until we win. Because when we come together, there is no power that can stop us."

Eddie Delgado, Migrant Equity Southeast:

"There is nothing beautiful about trading care for cages and public safety nets for border walls. So now that this bill is signed into law, it's not only important to understand what's in it, but that our Representatives in Congress voted against our communities."

Christi Hulme, President, Savannah Regional Central Labor Council:

“President Trump and the GOP claim their new tax law benefits us all. Let's be clear, it's a windfall for the wealthy and a loss for ordinary people. They've chosen to steal our tax dollars and further rig the system to pay for more tax cuts for billionaires, costing our nation trillions and exploding the deficit.... It's time for a transformation. We'll rewrite the rules so the rich corporations finally pay their fair share. Because this isn't just about fairness -- it's about investing in a strong middle class and ensuring a future where everyone can succeed.”

Jerome Irwin, Vice President, Savannah Regional Central Labor Council:

“If we stand together they can’t break us down. But if we let them get in between us then we got a problem. If we stand strong and act together to hold our elected officials accountable then this bill will go away. We need to hold people accountable....If they can't do the job for you, then let's kick them out.”

Tayonna Gadson, a 21-year old new mom and member of 9 to 5:

“I fear for my son, my family and other families. Every day, the fear grows when I see what our world has become with acts such as the one big, beautiful bill.

“Before my son came to be I had a stable job, bills were paid, great benefits. When I became pregnant I worked through most of my pregnancy, cleaning cars outside all day. Eventually, my knee dislocated on me, and thought it popped back into place after a minute or two, the swelling would not go down. That's when life took a turn. I began to fall behind on bills, doing what I could while I was out of work to earn some type of income. I had insurance due to my job at the time, however, I wasn't able to provide myself the proper nutrition that you should consume while pregnant. With inflation rising, what I was bringing home barely covered the roof over my head and the car I had.”

John Hartman, veteran and community organizer:

“As a disabled veteran who relies heavily on my compensation from the VA, I wake up every day in fear that I will lose it. The lasting issues of my traumatic brain injury and injury prevent me from working in a large majority of traditional job fields, and the compensation I get from the VA ensures that my wife and I can live.

“I spent too much time learning how to talk and how to speak and find my voice again to be silenced by a man who repeatedly puts down my fellow veterans and service members to stroke his own ego and continue to make cuts to the VA behind the scenes while planning to support the troops.”

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Learn more about the “Stop the Billionaire Giveaways” bus tour online and on social media: @FairShare_USAon X and @FairShareAmerica (FB, IG, BS, Threads, TikTok).