Nationwide rallies will target elected representatives: “Whose side are you on: billionaire donors or your constituents?"

On July 1, nurses across the country will rally against proposed Medicaid cuts at the district offices of U.S. representatives and senators, announced National Nurses United (NNU), the nation’s largest union of registered nurses. 

The nationwide actions will target the U.S. representatives and senators, including: Rep. Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06), Rep. Kevin Kiley (CA-03), Rep. Jay Obernolte (CA-23), Rep. Ron Estes (KS-04), Rep. Mike Turner (OH-10), Rep. Michael Cloud (TX-27), Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11), Senator Bill Cassidy (LA), and Senator Susan Collins (ME).

“We challenge elected representatives to have the courage to speak with the nurses in their communities and answer us directly: ‘Whose side are you on: billionaire donors or your constituents?’” said Nancy Hagans, RN at Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn, NY and a president of NNU. “If Congress passes these Medicaid cuts, more than 51,000 people could die.”

What: Nurses rally against Medicaid cuts in GOP reconciliation package
When: Tuesday, July 1
Where: See here for list of facilities and local times

Hagans continued, “The simple truth is that our country cannot afford to bankroll billionaire tax cuts on the backs of everyday Americans. Not only does Medicaid provide lifesaving, safety-net care to patients who would otherwise unnecessarily suffer and die, but it also is a powerful engine of local economies that employs tens of thousands of people.” 

Medicaid provides health care coverage to our most vulnerable populations — the elderly, disabled, and the young. According to 2023 data, more than one in five people in the U.S. had health care coverage funded by Medicaid that year. In states like California, New York, and Louisiana, more than one in four people were covered under Medicaid in 2023. If these cuts to Medicaid happen, 7.8 million people will lose health coverage. 

National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide. NNU affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.