AFSCME President Lee Saunders responded to the House’s recent passage of a budget reconciliation package. The adoption of this package is said to have significant implications for public service funding across the nation.
The package is expected to lead to “devastating cuts” in core public services like Medicaid, child care, and food assistance. According to Saunders, the budget plans aim to “funnel federal dollars for public health, safety and education into tax breaks for billionaires.”
Saunders says AFSCME members are prepared to oppose these measures. “AFSCME members see through their schemes and are ready to fight back. For months, they have been packing town halls, calling their members of Congress and getting organized in defense of their communities,” he stated.
In his full statement, Saunders urged legislators to remember their duty to represent public interest: “These anti-worker legislators can try to run from us, but they can’t hide. We’ll be there reminding them that they are supposed to represent us, not billionaires.”
