‘Hands Off Medicaid' rally held in Lansing as U.S. Senate prepares to vote on GOP budget bill

Yahoo

4 hours ago

Protestors participate in Hands Off Medicaid rally in Lansing. June 28, 2025 | Photo by Leah Craig/Michigan Advance
As the U.S. Senate prepares to vote on its version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut and member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined Michiganders virtually for a Hands Off Medicaid rally in Lansing.
While Murphy had originally planned to attend Saturday's rally in person, the U.S. Senate vote scheduled for Saturday required that Murphy remain in Washington D.C.
In addressing the crowd, Senator Murphy reiterated how devastating the GOP bill would be to most Americans.
'We're talking about 60 million people losing their health care,' Murphy explained, 'most of those working Americans, a lot of them really, really vulnerable, very, very sick and disabled Americans. Many of those children. All in order to transfer that money to the very, very wealthy.'
Moreover, Murphy said, the plan has not been well-received by the public.
'As people find out about this, they hate it,' Murphy noted. 'With long-term distractions, in the first five months, we had a hard time breaking through. Well, now we're breaking through because of what you're doing today, because of similar protests all around the country like this, and this thing isn't over until it's over.'
The bill would extend the 2017 tax cuts approved by a GOP-led Congress during President Donald Trump's first term, while also pushing through major spending cuts that would drastically downsize the federal government.
Even if the Senate approves the measure, changes to the bill's language will require it to return to the House for another vote. At least six congressional Republicans have since walked back their initial support, making it unclear whether the bill could garner enough votes a second time.
While Murphy headlined Saturday's event in Lansing, Michigan leaders and healthcare advocates also spoke to the dozens who attended Saturday's rally.
Dr. Rob Davidson, executive director of the Committee to Protect Healthcare, explained that this is not a partisan issue: as a doctor from West Michigan, many of his patients voted for Donald Trump and congressional Republicans. Now, many of those same patients stand to lose access to their healthcare.
As the only physician in the Michigan Legislature, Rep. Matt Longjohn (D-Portage) outlined how the proposed cuts to Medicaid would affect Michigan.
'What it'll mean is that there is uncompensated care, that there's low value care, and that will break the bank for healthcare systems and hospitals and rural health centers alike,' Longjohn said. 'It's not good for patients, it's not good for providers, it's not good for systems, [and] it's not good for communities.'
Longjohn also pointed out that 40% of Michigan's budget comes from federal funds that are distributed to the state specifically to run programs like Medicaid. As such, he says the impacts of the proposed cuts would be disastrous to the state's economy.
'When you throw a boulder as big as this into a pond, you know the ripple effect will affect millions, and for a long time,' Longjohn said.
Beyond policy concerns, Longjohn expressed frustration with those advocating for the bill's passage.
'One of the things that frustrates me most is that the people pushing this are cowards,' Longjohn noted. 'They will not answer voicemail, they will not answer letters, they will not show up to meetings with constituents.'
While Longjohn declined to name these legislators, others at the rally directly identified two by name: Reps. Tom Barrett (R-Charlotte) and John James (R-Shelby Township).
Nearly six months into their two-year terms, Barrett and James have largely avoided town halls. Since taking office in January, Barrett has held only two town halls– both of which were conducted virtually. James has yet to hold any constituent events and has not given any indication that he intends to do so.
The Senate Budget Committee revealed the finalized language of the bill late Friday night. The first round of votes was anticipated to begin Saturday afternoon, but ongoing negotiations postponed the start of formal discussion.
Murphy told the crowd that each day that final passage is delayed, the bill becomes less likely to pass.
'Because right now, this country is waking up to the cataclysm that will occur if this thing passes,' Murphy said.
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