National Bus Tour to “Stop the Billionaire Giveaway” in Congress Visits PA State Capitol

Fair Share America + Pennsylvanians Together Brought the 14-State, National Campaign to Scranton to Call Out the Harmful Impacts of the GOP’s Federal Budget + Tax Bill

“How many of us are you willing to see die so that you can get even more?” - State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta asks of the country’s ultra-rich, who will see the bulk of the benefits from the bill while others suffer

Harrisburg, PA – Today, the national “Stop the Billionaire Giveaway” bus tour organized by Fair Share America and Unrig Our Economy, pulled up to the PA Capitol to raise warnings about the state and local impacts of a massive reconciliation bill in Congress that would transfer record levels of taxpayer dollars to the ultra-rich and corporations and cut social safety nets that people rely on, like Medicaid and food assistance.

The press conference and rally, which featured state leaders including State Senator and Democratic Leader Jay Costa and PA Representative Malcolm Kenyatta alongside local health care workers and organizers, took place just as U.S. Senate Republicans have re-doubled their efforts to bring the reconciliation bill to the Senate floor for a vote this week. The PA Capitol was the fifth Pennsylvania stop on the bus’s three-week, 14-state tour, which kicked off this weekend in Croton-on-Hudson, New York and will travel cross country and end in central California next month.

PA Democratic Leader Jay Costa: “Our challenge now is to convince our Senate and House Republicans to stand with us, to say ‘no’ to these cuts, and say ‘yes’ to compassion, ‘yes’ to care, ‘yes’ to making certain we're going to protect people's ability to be able to live with dignity and making sure they have the opportunity to receive the health care they deserve, receive the benefits they deserve to receive.”

PA Representative Malcolm Kenyatta: “This is about greed. This is about a handful of wealthy folks who don't think you're worth anything. Who don't care about me, who don't care about you, who don't care about families… “How much is enough?” Kenyatta asked, rhetorically, of the ultra-rich, who receive the bulk of the benefits of this bill. “How many planes can you fight on? How many boats can you lounge on? How many vacations can you go on? And how many of us are you willing to see die so that you can get even more?”

Kristen Crowell, Fair Share America Executive Director described the urgency of speaking out about the bill: “This is a critical, urgent time as this bill moves forward to a Senate floor vote, possibly within the next 72 hours. We also know that when the American public finds out about this bill, they are upset, they are furious. They reject this. It is incumbent on all of us as this [bill] heads forward to make sure that we are getting the word out.”

[VIDEO] Kristen Crowell explains why Fair Share America and Unrig Our Economy have launched the 14-state tour and how we’re building a national movement.

Sara Agerton, a member of the Mechanicsburg Borough Council and a social worker: “To me, this is an attack against the working class. It is class warfare…I know how much this [bill] is going to impact my neighbors. Seniors are already struggling to pay their bills. Imagine making a decision about how they're going to pay for their groceries, how they're going to be able to get around to do the essential things that we take for granted every day.”

Autumn Gravier an advocate with Planned Parenthood PA, shared her harrowing story of leaving an abusive husband who raped her. She said she would not have been able to leave without access to Medicaid for health care for her and her two kids.

Julia Tilley, a home care worker with SEIU Healthcare PA, warned that cuts to Medicaid will deprive people of their dignity and threaten not only individuals, but also PA hospitals, nursing homes, and at-home care: “Medicaid is the source of that dignity and freedom for my daughter and for seniors and people with disabilities all across Pennsylvania,” she said. “These cuts to Medicaid, they're not about saving money. They were never about saving money. It's about giving more money to billionaires in massive tax giveaways. This is unpatriotic, un-American, and it is unacceptable.”

Matt Yarnell, President of SEIU Healthcare PA: “Hospital workers, nursing home workers, home care workers showed up [today], and we're going to show up all around this state and around this country because, you know what, our healthcare system is broken today, and this [bill] is going to make it even worse.”

Marc Stier, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Policy Center and an organizer of the PA tour shared the numbers on how the bill would impact Pennsylvanians: “The bill could lead to 570,000 people losing Medicaid or health care exchange credits, and over two people dying prematurely daily due to lack of affordable health care. Between 400,000 and 1 million people could lose SNAP benefits. The bill is projected to cost $2.8 trillion and benefit the top 1% with $55,000 in tax cuts, while the bottom 20% would receive $80.”

Event partners included: Pennyslvanians Together, Pennsylvania Policy Center, SEIU Healthcare PA, Planned Parenthood PA, 10th District Network, Action Together NEPA.

**The full swing through Pennsylvania includes 6 stops:

Sunday, June 22

Monday, June 23

Tuesday, June 24

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

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