14-State National Campaign to Michigan to Highlight the Harmful Impacts of the Federal Budget + Tax Bill

“Gandhi said the worst form of violence is poverty. With a stroke of a pen, you put families more in poverty.” – Mayor Sheldon Neeley of Flint

Flint, Mich. (June 27, 2025) – Yesterday afternoon, Flint residents joined the national “Stop the Billionaire Giveaway” bus tour to highlight the devastating impact of the GOP’s budget and tax proposal on Michigan’s families, communities and economy.

The Flint stop -- at UAW Region 1-D's memorial park -- was the second of three Michigan events in the coast-to-coast 14-state bus tour. At the event, advocates honored those who have fought to bring protections and dignity for workers, and called out the devastating impact of the cuts to essential programs that are being used to fund tax breaks for billionaires in the federal budget reconciliation bill.

Kristen Crowell, Fair Share America executive director and tour organizer, emphasized the human cost of the proposed legislation and the power of grassroots resistance:

“We’re standing here in Flint because we believe working families—not billionaires—deserve a government that serves them,” said Crowell. “This bill would kick millions off health care, slash food assistance, and deepen poverty in the wealthiest country on Earth. But we are not powerless. We’re organizing in every corner of this country to say enough is enough—and to stop this billionaire giveaway in its tracks.”

Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley called on elected leaders to reject greed and stand up for the people of Flint and communities like it across America:

“Let’s not let the American dream fall victim to greed. So today under God’s watchful eye, we stand together, we unite, we move forward—Black, white, rich, poor, Republican, Democrat—we fight as great American citizens to stand against this tyranny of greed. The taking away of really what America’s about. We all here are great American citizens in a great American country. We cannot have these anti-American thoughts or actions take hold of this great country—not distilling our spirit or our will. We have to unite and fight.”

Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson emphasized how decisions in Washington translate into crisis at the local level:

“There’s a great difference between perception and perspective. Perception is what we think people should do, but perspective is getting into their life and asking, ‘What is this going to do for you and your family?’ That’s what today’s about. Decisions made in Washington, D.C. on paper impact breakfast cereal the next day in people’s homes. Within a quarter mile of this location are people that are begging for Republicans and Democrats on the House and the Senate side to allow their people to eat, to allow the elderly to be fed, and for people to be insured.”

Steve Dawes, UAW Region 1D Director, spoke from historic union ground about the stakes of the fight ahead:

“What you see here is sacred ground. Eighty-nine years ago, brave men and women at General Motors took on the largest corporation in the world—not for wages or holidays—but for dignity in the workplace. For those making decisions that hurt the less fortunate, they know they’re doing the wrong thing. But they’re scared—scared of a tyrant. If billionaires like Elon Musk just paid their fair share all year, we wouldn’t have the problems we have now. And they wouldn’t even notice—it’d be like a lawn chair falling off the Titanic.”

Art Reyes, a longtime UAW Local 598/Flint CAP Council member and Flint factory worker, spoke forcefully about the economic harm this legislation would cause and called on workers to unite:

“I’ve been a UAW member for over 30 years now, and I have never seen an attack on working people in the nature that we are seeing right now. We are seeing blatant attacks on the very rights that we have as workers, as union members, as citizens of the United States. We cannot stand silently—we must stand together. We work with people who do not agree with us in religion or political views or family structure, but we do the job. And we have to do that as a community. We have to come together and fight when we are all under attack.”

Frank Burger, a 28-year public school educator and President of Carman-Answorth Education Association, warned of the devastating consequences the proposed Medicaid cuts would have on Michigan students:

“The proposed Medicaid cuts in the Big Beautiful Bill—or what has been referred to as the Big Beautiful Betrayal—will cause irreparable harm to our most vulnerable students. Every student deserves an opportunity to succeed, but these cuts would rob our kids of the services they need to live full, productive lives. In my district alone, we stand to lose over $300,000 in critical funding. Cutting Medicaid means taking away school psychologists, nurses, and paras from the students who need them most. The Big Beautiful Bill answers the question of whether we value all students with a resounding hell no.”

Dr. Aisha Harris, a Flint native and primary care doctor, spoke about the life-or-death impact of Medicaid access: “Medicaid provides health care for six out of ten women in Michigan and covers nearly half of all births in our state. Take away Medicaid, and thousands of pregnant women will go without adequate prenatal care, which can lead to preterm birth and low birth weight. Cuts to Medicaid would take away $2.3 billion from Michigan hospitals, limiting care for pregnant women and others. I’ve had an uninsured woman with a new diagnosis of cancer who could only get treated because she was able to get Medicaid. That treatment allowed her to have more time with her family.”

Dr. Brittany Taylor, a Flint-based pediatrician, spoke about the real-life impact of cutting Medicaid and SNAP:

“Nearly one million children in Michigan—four in ten—rely on Medicaid or CHIP for their health care. Without Medicaid, my patients go without checkups, medications, and critical therapies. Without SNAP, they don’t have enough to eat. These programs are lifelines—not luxuries. If we truly care about the next generation, we must protect Medicaid and SNAP. Our children are not a line item—they are the reason for the budget.”

Nathan Medina, a Saginaw native and policy expert in children’s nutrition, spoke to the cruelty and economic impact of the proposed SNAP cuts:

“Inhumanity is the point. The dehumanization of people in need—of children, of the elderly, of the disabled—is the point. We must take a stand to say: ‘Hell no, not on our watch.’ SNAP is not a program for the lazy. It’s a program for our farmers. It creates a ripple effect—up to $1.54 for every dollar spent. This bill would reduce benefits for up to 150,000 adults and 250,000 families in Michigan. If you don’t know where your next meal is coming from, you can’t learn. You can’t work.”