Opponents to the Republican budget bill rallied outside U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson’s Bellefonte office Wednesday afternoon, waving signs and getting drivers to honk their horns in support of their message: That cuts to social programs in the Trump budget bill would be harmful.
“This is dire," said Donna Marcotte, from Huntingdon. "Right now it’s Medicaid and SNAP. Is it going to be Medicare? Is it going to be Social Security?”
By early Wednesday morning, Congress seemed poised to pass the bill before the July 4 holiday.
According to Governor Josh Shapiro’s office, in Thompson’s 15th district, nearly 7,000 people could lose supplemental nutrition or SNAP benefits and more than 15,000 could lose Medicaid coverage, a federal and state program that provides health care coverage including to those who are low-income or disabled. Across Pennsylvania, more than Medicaid coverage for more than 300,000 people could be in jeopardy.
Cathleen Cahill, of State College, had those numbers on a sign.
“This is just going to be catastrophic for people across the nation, and I don’t understand the cruelty of hurting the people who are least able to help themselves,” she said.
In an email, Thompson’s chief of staff said the Trump budget bill "will lead to thousands of dollars of take home pay increases for Pennsylvania's hard working families. Centre County's families want lower taxes, secure borders, and safe communities. Congressman Thompson ran on this platform and plans on delivering on these promises."
