How can you make your voice heard in Congress? Go to Capitol Hill! I recently had the chance to do just that. As I walked the halls of the House and Senate offices, toured the Capitol building and talked with my elected officials, Representative Bryan Steil and Senator Tammy Baldwin, I realized how important it is that we make darn sure our voices are heard! I never really understood how things work in Washington but in just one day, I figured it out.
We own it, we can change it!
I traveled with Fair Share America to learn more about tax breaks for the rich while cutting programs and services for the poor. That is what Republicans on the hill are proposing in the Budget Reconciliation process. Then there are the across-the-board cuts and the elimination of entire federal agencies by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency.
These actions by Congress and DOGE are causing so much pain and chaos. And the economy tanking. We have to speak up!
Everyone that I traveled with on the trip had a story to tell. Several physicians from around the country were concerned about how cuts to Medicaid will hurt patients and how cutting-edge research on ground breaking cures for Alzheimer’s, brain injuries and other catastrophic diseases has come to a halt. A young man with Cerebral Palsy came to share his story about losing Medicaid benefits. We all came with a common goal, to make sure our voices were heard.
For my husband Phil who served in Vietnam, cuts to the Veterans Administration are delaying services and causing undue stress because of the uncertainty. At 79, my husband’s health is in decline and he is completely bed bound. Paralyzed in a PTSD related accident 35 years ago, we could always count on the VA to keep him going. In his doctor’s appointment this week, we were told that major cuts are happening on June 1 and no one knows what’s coming. This is not the time in our lives when we should be worried about the future of veterans’ health services.
After organizing and participating in many rallies and protests over the past few months, it’s clear I am not the only one who is not happy with the current state of politics. But I may be one of only a few who now knows how we can change it.
Not everyone can get to Washington DC so we are organizing our own Town Hall in Representative Steil’s district. So far, he has not responded but we will record your stories and make sure you are heard! Join us on April 24th from 6:00 - 7:30 at the Franklin Public Library. If you are not in the 1st Congressional District, organize your own meeting. Enough is enough!
Our elected officials work for us and not the other way around! Show up! Stand up! Tell your story. We own it and we can change it!
