Leading national health justice organization joins forces with Fair Share America to stop Medicaid cuts and amplify the voices of impacted people from South Dakota and Utah  

WASHINGTON, D.C. — This week, Community Catalyst is bringing a delegation of advocates and storytellers to Washington, D.C. to demand Congress reject a budget plan that would gut Medicaid to fund more tax breaks for billionaires and corporations. Representing a national movement to put people—not profits—at the center of health care decisions, Community Catalyst is building power alongside Fair Share America and partners from more than 30 states to call for tax and health justice.

“At a time when the cost of care is skyrocketing and corporate profits are soaring, Congress is doubling down on tax breaks for the wealthy—paid for by terminating health care for people who get their health insurance through Medicaid,” said Michelle Sternthal, Director of Government Affairs at Community Catalyst. “These advocates and community storytellers represent just a few of the millions speaking out across the country to demand Congress reject these cuts. They’re here to remind lawmakers that slashing Medicaid will hurt their own constituents—across race, place and political affiliation.”

As a national leader in the fight to protect Medicaid, Community Catalyst works with more than 350 organizations across the country to amplify grassroots voices and confront the policy choices that fuel health and economic inequity.

This week in Washington, Community Catalyst-supported storytellers from Utah and South Dakota will meet with their congressional representatives and speak at a major rally hosted by Fair Share America on Thursday, April 10 at 12:00 PM ET at Upper Senate Park. The rally will feature members of Congress, grassroots leaders, and people directly impacted by the proposed cuts.

Meet the Storytellers: 
  • Cadon Sagendorf and Natalie Clark of Utah, both young adults who will be talking about the importance of Medicaid in their lives. Cadon will be speaking at the rally about the importance of Medicaid’s mental health services and the supports he needed aging out of foster care.
  • Vanessa Palmier and Kristar Shouldis of South Dakota, patient benefit coordinators who have personal experience with Medicaid and who also work to assist Native patients with enrollment.
  • Elizabeth Schenkel, Policy and Partnerships Manager at the Community HealthCare Association of the Dakotas.

These voices come at a critical moment. Congress is considering a budget plan that would extend and expand the 2017 Trump tax law, which gave over 80% of its benefits to the wealthiest 10% and large corporations. Now, to pay for even more giveaways to the rich, lawmakers are proposing deep cuts to programs like Medicaid, SNAP, and Head Start—undermining basic supports that millions of families count on.

“Despite months of in-state protests and people standing up to fight against misplaced budget policies that put billionaires before families, Congress isn’t listening,” said Kristen Crowell, Executive Director of Fair Share America. “D.C. leadership is trying to jam through another round of tax cuts for the wealthy at the expense of every working- and middle-class family nationwide – and they don’t want to face the consequences. So we’re bringing the people to them to share their stories. Fair Share is proud to be leading this fight for tax justice with our partners in the states, because every single person deserves a fair shot to thrive in this country.”

EVENT DETAILS:

Who: Fair Share America will host Members of Congress, advocates, grassroots leaders, workers and storytellers from over 30 states

What: Rally to Say NO to Tax Breaks for Billionaires & Corporations

Where: Upper Senate Park, next to the U.S. Capitol Building

When: Thursday, April 10, 2025 at 12 PM ET

Watch: RSVP to receive the event livestream link on Facebook

Speakers: 
  • U.S. Representative Brendan Boyle (D-PA-2), Ranking Member, House Budget Committee & Event Co-host
  • U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ranking Member, Senate Finance Committee
  • U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member, Senate Budget Committee
  • U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee
  • U.S. Representative Katherine Clark (D-MA-05), House Democratic Whip
  • U.S. Representative Sara Jacobs (D-CA-51)
  • U.S. Representative Jimmy Gomez (D-CA-34)
  • U.S. Representative Sarah McBride (D-DE) 

Partners and rally participants include members of the 50501 DC, AFL-CIO, AFSCME, AFT, Americans for Tax Fairness, Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy, Care in Action, Care Can’t Wait, Caring Across Generations, Center for Popular Democracy, Community Catalyst, CLASP, Families Over Billionaires, Groundwork Action, Indivisible, MomsRising, MoveOn, NEA, National Domestic Workers Alliance, National Women’s Law Center, NETWORK, Our Revolution, P Street, People’s Action Institute, State Revenue Alliance, SEIU, and Unrig Our Economy.

MEDIA AVAILABILITY:

Storytellers supported by Community Catalyst are available for interviews while in D.C. or after returning home. There will be a designated area to conduct interviews at the event staffed by Fair Share. To coordinate, contact Jack Cardinal at 781.960.5208 / jcardinal@communitycatalyst.org.

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About Community Catalyst: 

Community Catalyst is a national organization dedicated to building the power of people to create a health system rooted in race equity and health justice, and a society where health is a right for all. We’re an experienced, trusted partner to organizations across the country, a change agent to policymakers at the local, state, and national level, and both an adversary and a collaborator to health systems in our efforts to advance health justice. We partner with local, state and national organizations and leaders to leverage and build power so that people are at the center of important decisions about health and health care, whether they are made by health care executives, in state houses, or on Capitol Hill. Together with partners, we’re building a powerful, united movement with a shared vision of and strategy for a health system accountable to all people. Learn more at www.communitycatalyst.org.