logo
Dozens gather at Boston Medical Center to protest Trump''s ‘Big Beautiful Bill,' cuts to Medicaid

Dozens gather at Boston Medical Center to protest Trump''s ‘Big Beautiful Bill,' cuts to Medicaid

Boston Globea day ago
Donald Trump's tax bill, which he signed into law on July 4, will strip about $186 billion from SNAP and close to $1 trillion from Medicaid over the next decade, the Globe
Advertisement
The bill could strip healthcare coverage from some 250,000 Massachusetts residents, Governor Maura Healey
Advertisement
Republicans frame the bill as a way to target Medicaid fraud and save money. It would require states to
'We're here to expose the harm of this big, bad bill that will transfer wealth from working people to wealthy people,' said Marlishia Aho, the regional communications director for 1199SEIU.
Franswa Jean-Enard, a personal care attendant for his mom and a member of the union, said he's anxious his mom could be stripped of her healthcare benefits 'at any time' because of the cuts even though he has 'all the paperwork to justify her need for it.' She has several conditions, including advanced arthritis, and relies on Medicaid for 'all her care,' including physical therapy and medication.
Jean-Enard said it was important for him to protest because even if he isn't ultimately affected, he doesn't want other people to lose access to life-saving treatment.
'Back home in Haiti, there's a saying — when your friend's or neighbor's beard is on fire, put yours in order — which means when something is happening to your neighbor, it could happen to you,' he said.
The state requiring more frequent eligibility checks would also be a burden, as Jean-Enard said the paperwork for his mom's Medicaid is already time-consuming and can take months to process.
'I'm hoping it doesn't get to that, but I'm hoping with the help of the union, what we're doing and organizing, we can push back,' he said.
Advertisement
Jean-Enard said he understands the government wants to streamline spending, but that it shouldn't come at the expense of healthcare.
'Every single PCA is doing crucial work,' he said, adding that his mom's needs will only grow with time.
Janice Guzman, also a PCA for her mom, was cut from
'That's why I'm here, fighting back,' Guzman said. 'My mom needs my assistance 24/7 — and I don't get paid for 24/7 — but it's helping me pay my bills. Right now, it's like, what am I going to do?'
Others at the protest, like 70-year-old Fe Guidry, a PCA in New Bedford, said they're worried about cuts to SNAP, which
Guidry said SNAP 'really helps' her purchase healthy food.
'We're fighting for the benefits that we have,' she said.
Emily Spatz can be reached at
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Analysis-Out-gunned Europe accepts least-worst US trade deal
Analysis-Out-gunned Europe accepts least-worst US trade deal

Yahoo

time21 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Analysis-Out-gunned Europe accepts least-worst US trade deal

By Mark John LONDON (Reuters) -In the end, Europe found it lacked the leverage to pull Donald Trump's America into a trade pact on its terms and so has signed up to a deal it can just about stomach - albeit one that is clearly skewed in the U.S.'s favour. As such, Sunday's agreement on a blanket 15% tariff after a months-long stand-off is a reality check on the aspirations of the 27-country European Union to become an economic power able to stand up to the likes of the United States or China. The cold shower is all the more bracing given that the EU has long portrayed itself as an export superpower and champion of rules-based commerce for the benefit both of its own soft power and the global economy as a whole. For sure, the new tariff that will now be applied is a lot more digestible than the 30% "reciprocal" tariff which Trump threatened to invoke in a few days. While it should ensure Europe avoids recession, it will likely keep its economy in the doldrums: it sits somewhere between two tariff scenarios the European Central Bank last month forecast would mean 0.5-0.9% economic growth this year compared to just over 1% in a trade tension-free environment. But this is nonetheless a landing point that would have been scarcely imaginable only months ago in the pre-Trump 2.0 era, when the EU along with much of the world could count on U.S. tariffs averaging out at around 1.5%. Even when Britain agreed a baseline tariff of 10% with the United States back in May, EU officials were adamant they could do better and - convinced the bloc had the economic heft to square up to Trump - pushed for a "zero-for-zero" tariff pact. It took a few weeks of fruitless talks with their U.S. counterparts for the Europeans to accept that 10% was the best they could get and a few weeks more to take the same 15% baseline which the United States agreed with Japan last week. "The EU does not have more leverage than the U.S., and the Trump administration is not rushing things," said one senior official in a European capital who was being briefed on last week's negotiations as they closed in around the 15% level. That official and others pointed to the pressure from Europe's export-oriented businesses to clinch a deal and so ease the levels of uncertainty starting to hit businesses from Finland's Nokia to Swedish steelmaker SSAB. "We were dealt a bad hand. This deal is the best possible play under the circumstances," said one EU diplomat. "Recent months have clearly shown how damaging uncertainty in global trade is for European businesses." NOW WHAT? That imbalance - or what the trade negotiators have been calling "asymmetry" - is manifest in the final deal. Not only is it expected that the EU will now call off any retaliation and remain open to U.S. goods on existing terms, but it has also pledged $600 billion of investment in the United States. The time-frame for that remains undefined, as do other details of the accord for now. As talks unfolded, it became clear that the EU came to the conclusion it had more to lose from all-out confrontation. The retaliatory measures it threatened totalled some 93 billion euros - less than half its U.S. goods trade surplus of nearly 200 billion euros. True, a growing number of EU capitals were also ready to envisage wide-ranging anti-coercion measures that would have allowed the bloc to target the services trade in which the United States had a surplus of some $75 billion last year. But even then, there was no clear majority for targeting the U.S. digital services which European citizens enjoy and for which there are scant homegrown alternatives - from Netflix to Uber to Microsoft cloud services. It remains to be seen whether this will encourage European leaders to accelerate the economic reforms and diversification of trading allies to which they have long paid lip service but which have been held back by national divisions. Describing the deal as a painful compromise that was an "existential threat" for many of its members, Germany's BGA wholesale and export association said it was time for Europe to reduce its reliance on its biggest trading partner. "Let's look on the past months as a wake-up call," said BGA President Dirk Jandura. "Europe must now prepare itself strategically for the future - we need new trade deals with the biggest industrial powers of the world." (Additional reporting by Jan Strupczewski in Brussels; Christian Kraemer and Maria Martinez in Berlin; Writing by Mark John; Editing by Nick Zieminski) Sign in to access your portfolio

NY Republicans tie Dem opponents to Zohran Mamdani: 'They're Mamdani Democrats!'
NY Republicans tie Dem opponents to Zohran Mamdani: 'They're Mamdani Democrats!'

New York Post

time22 minutes ago

  • New York Post

NY Republicans tie Dem opponents to Zohran Mamdani: 'They're Mamdani Democrats!'

Gleeful Republicans will make socialist Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani a key campaign issue as they pound 'Mamdani Democrats' running for election across the state, party insiders said. GOP officials will tie Mamdani to Democrat candidates from Long Island to upstate, with the idea the party will answer for the nomination in more moderate areas such as Staten Island, Nassau and Suffolk — and even places like Binghamton, The Post has learned. 'If there was ever any doubt that our city is headed in the wrong direction, this past Democratic mayoral primary election gave people their answer,' Staten Island Republican chairman Michael Tannousis said, noting Mamdani will be a campaign point even in judge races. 3 Republican candidates across New York state will attempt to tie their opponents to New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, party insiders told The Post. Getty Images 'Zohran Mamdani is the official nominee of the Staten Island Democratic Party,' he added. 'In November, Staten Island voters will have a choice: whether they will vote for Zohran Mamdani's socialist Democratic Party or the Republican candidates they trust.' Republican nominee Remy Smith, a Housing Court judge, was set to kick off her campaign Sunday against Democrat attorney Matthew Santamauro for a civil court seat on the island. Tannousis said that the Democrat is running on 'the Mamdani ticket.' Mamdani's name will 'absolutely' be used as a weapon against Democrats in Suffolk County, where Republican District Attorney Ray Tierney is up for re-election and 18 county legislative seats are up for grabs, the GOP chairman said. 'The Democratic Party has anointed a communist as the face of the party,' party chairman Jesse Garcia said. 'hey've embraced his policy of defunding the police, antisemitism and higher taxes. Not one Democrat in Suffolk County has denounced Mamdani. 'Our policies are more in tune with Suffolk voters,' Garcia claimed. 'We are going to compare our Republican candidates' records of making Suffolk safer and affordable compared to the Mamdani Democrats' that advocate communism, loss of property rights, antisemitic views, higher taxes and defund the police.' 3 New York Republicans hope that Mamdani will hurt Democrats in more moderate areas like Long Island or upstate. Paul Martinka Mamdani identifies himself as a democratic socialist but he has come under fire for declaring in a resurfaced clip that one of his goals is 'seizing the means of production' — which critics note reeks of the approach of communist regimes. Meanwhile, Republicans in Nassau County will claim that Democrats there share the 'dangerous and reckless Mamdani agenda,' said Nassau GOP chairman Joe Cairo. There are dozens of county, town and village seats up for election in November. The headliner countywide races include Republicans seeking re-election — County Executive Bruce Blakeman Bruce Blakeman, DA Anne Donnelly and Comptroller Elaine Phillips. Cairo called Mamdani and extreme socialist who will destroy the city's economy and make 'Gotham a lawless haven for criminals.' 'Sadly, Zohran Mamdani shares more than a political party line with his Long Island Democrats – he shares a corrosive and dangerous agenda that embraces defunding the police, cashless bail, closing jails, and soaring taxes,' Cairo said. 'Every Nassau County Republican candidate on the ballot — from county legislators to town supervisors – stand firmly against the out-of-touch priorities of Zohran Mamdani and the Democrat candidates in Nassau County who clearly share the dangerous and reckless Mamdani Agenda.' Mamdani's earth-shattering election win in last month's crowded Democratic primary has made him the immediate frontrunner to become New York's next mayor — but the win has not gone unnoticed by upstate Republicans, either. 'We will be ready to strike once voters are educated about Zohran Mamdani. Mamdani is out of touch with the voters here,' said Broome County Republican Party Benji Federman, which includes the city of Binghamton. Binghamton Republican Mayor Jared Kraham is running for re-election in the Democratic-leaning city against Miles Burnett. Start and end your day informed with our newsletters Morning Report and Evening Update: Your source for today's top stories Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters The upstate city is part of the economically struggling Southern Tier that borders Pennsylvania and higher taxes that Mamdani is proposing for the Big Apple are out of sync with the region, the GOP leader said. Federman said he even has liberal friends in Williamsburg, Brooklyn who are terrified of a Mamdani mayoralty. 'Proposals to raise corporate taxes and taxes on the rich are not popular in Williamsburg and not popular in the Southern Tier,' he said. 3 The Post's coverage of Mamdani's meeting with city business leaders. State Democratic Party chairman Jay Jacobs said the GOP scare tactics of trying to make Mamdani the bogeyman won't work, especially when they have to defend President Trump's hardline policies. 'Typical Republican distraction. Should we tie every Nassau Republican to that nut, Marjorie Taylor Green [Georgia congresswoman] or the assorted antisemites that Trump regularly socializes with?' said Jacobs, also the Nassau County Democratic leader. 'We will do fine just tying them to that Big Ugly Bill that will cause health insurance rates to go through the roof,' added Jacobs, referring to the tax and spending bill approved by Trump and the Republican-led Congress. Jacobs has not endorsed Mamdani. Neither have Senate Democratic Minority leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both Brooklynites. Mamdani, who is vacationing in his native Uganda, will face Republican Curtis Sliwa and three independents in the November election. Current Mayor Eric Adams, ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo and attorney Jim Walden will each appear on city election ballots on minor party lines. The Mamdani campaign had no immediate comment.

Rubio downplays 2028 talk, touts Vance as Trump's successor
Rubio downplays 2028 talk, touts Vance as Trump's successor

Fox News

time23 minutes ago

  • Fox News

Rubio downplays 2028 talk, touts Vance as Trump's successor

Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed speculation that he could be the Republican Party's 2028 presidential nominee, instead throwing his support behind Vice President JD Vance. "I think JD Vance would be a great nominee if he decides he wants to do that," Rubio said during an interview with Lara Trump that aired on the Fox News Channel Saturday. Rubio also described Vance as one of his "closest friends in politics." He went on to commend Vance's performance as vice president during the segment on "My View with Lara Trump" and made clear he is satisfied with his current role in President Donald Trump's Cabinet. "I want to do this job as long as the president allows me to," Rubio added. Trump appointed Rubio to serve as the nation's top diplomat shortly after defeating then–Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. Rubio, previously a Republican senator representing Florida, was among the first confirmed to Trump's Cabinet. "I believe that if I am able to be here, through the duration of this presidency, and we get things done at the pace that we've been doing the last six months, I'll be able to look back at my time in public service and say I made a difference, I had an impact, and I served my country in a very positive way," Rubio told Trump. "And I would be satisfied with that as the apex of my career," he added.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store