As the so-called “big, beautiful bill” makes its way through Congress, AFSCME members have been traveling to Washington, D.C., to tell their members of Congress to reject that cruel legislation.
Last week, it was the turn of two special education paraprofessionals to impress upon Congress that there’s nothing beautiful about the bill.
It would make devastating cuts to Medicaid, food assistance, and other essential programs people rely on, just to give huge tax cuts to billionaires.
Mary Townsend has been a special education teaching assistant in Warwick, Rhode Island, for more than four decades.
Townsend, the executive vice president of AFSCME Council 94, provides one-to-one assistance to a 17-year-old student in his junior year, who is also her grandson.
Andrew breathes with the assistance of a ventilator and receives nutrition via a g-tube and is reliant on specialized medical equipment to survive. His physical disabilities require custom equipment, including his wheelchair. He speaks using an eye-gaze communication device. All the support Andrew receives allows him to live his best life just as all children should.
Townsend visited the U.S. Capitol with a photo of Andrew to advocate against cuts to Medicaid that could devastate Andrew’s care.
“Andrew relies on Medicaid for all his life-sustaining equipment,” she said. “I’m worried about all children who have special health care needs.”
Watch a video of Townsend talking about her grandson and describing her visit to Capitol Hill.
Townsend was joined by another special education paraprofessional, Kristen Scott of Elk River, Minnesota.
Scott, a member of AFSCME Council 65, has worked for two decades with students with a range of disabilities, helping them get the accommodations they need to attend school.
“A lot of the kids that I work with rely on Medicaid in their home life as well as at school,” Scott said.
She pointed out that the school itself can bill Medicaid for many of the services her students receive. That means Medicaid cuts could affect the school budget for all of its students.
“If they go through with the cuts they're proposing, it’s really going to hurt the kids I care for,” she said.
Townsend and Scott are continuing the work of AFSCME members who have flooded Washington, D.C. to stop devastating cuts that would fund tax breaks for billionaires.
We must persuade the Senate to stop these attacks on lifesaving programs, public services, working people and retirees. Text GO to 237263 to get alerts and learn how you can join the fight and Get Organized.