After the Senate passed H.R. 1 and sent it back to the House of Representatives for another vote and possible modifications, hundreds of community members gathered at Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick’s office Wednesday to demonstrate the harm that this bill will do to families across Pennsylvania’s 1st congressional district and across the nation.
President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” is projected to kick nearly 12 million people off of Medicaid and cut over $260 billion in food aid for the hungry. Protesters laid down in front of the Congressman’s office holding tombstones with messages like “RIP – Lost SNAP – Died of Malnutrition” and “RIP – Lost Medicaid – Kicked out of My Nursing Home.” That action was followed by a much larger group of attendees “dying” in the grass in front of his office, to much acclaim from drivers passing by on Routes 413 and 332.
“This is a critical time for Congressman Fitzpatrick to stand up and represent the will of his electorate,” said Laura Rose, a co-leader of Indivisible Bucks County. “Less than a third of us support this heartless, cruel legislation. We do not want to take food from the hungry. We do not want to take medical care from those who need it. We do not want the elderly to lose their residential or memory care. And we do want Brian Fitzpatrick to hear us when we say we will not get over it if he votes for this vicious legislation.”
“The harms that this bill will create are staggering,” said Kierstyn Zolfo, a co-leader of Indivisible Bucks County. “To focus on just one piece of this nearly thousand page bill, many people do not realize that Medicaid pays for much of the residential care for the elderly members of our community. If these Medicaid cuts go into effect, over 15,000 Bucks senior citizens who receive Medicaid will be threatened with homelessness. That is what I want Brian Fitzpatrick to consider in the run up to the vote on this bill. I want him to think about the elderly members of our community who will lose their homes if he votes for this monstrosity. The Congressman has claimed that his ‘red-line’ is cuts to services for vulnerable community members. We all want to see him live up to that promise he made.”
Bucks County Beacon photojournalist David Iskra captured the event:
