Hundreds Protest Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' At Bucks Co. 'Die-In'

NEWTOWN/MIDDLETOWN, PA – In the wake of the Senate passage of H.R. 1, President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” more than 300 community members gathered at Congressman Fitzpatrick’s office to demonstrate against the bill.

A group of participants laid down in front of the Congressman’s office holding tombstones with messages like “RIP - Lost SNAP - Died of Malnutrition” and “RIP - Lost Medicaid - Kicked out of My Nursing Home.” That action was followed by a much larger group of attendees “dying” in the grass along Routes 413 and 332.

"This is a critical time for Congressman Fitzpatrick to stand up and represent the will of his electorate,” said Laura Rose, a co-leader of Indivisible Bucks County. “Less than a third of us support this heartless, cruel legislation. We do not want to take food from the hungry. We do not want to take medical care from those who need it. We do not want the elderly to lose their residential or memory care. And we do want Brian Fitzpatrick to hear us when we say we will not get over it if he votes for this vicious legislation."

“We are symbolically dying to bring home the fact that passage of this bill will kill tens of thousands of people a year due to loss of Medicaid and ACA coverage, loss of drug access among Medicaid/Medicare dual eligibles and from delaying a rule to increase staffing in nursing homes,” said Sharon Terry Moon, a leader of partner organization Yardley Indivisible. “Paperwork and administrative burdens in this bill are intended to decrease enrollment - these preventable deaths are entirely foreseeable.”

“The harms that this bill will create are staggering,” said Kierstyn Zolfo, a co-leader of Indivisible Bucks County. “To focus on just one piece of this nearly thousand-page bill, many people do not realize that Medicaid pays for much of the residential care for the elderly members of our community. If these Medicaid cuts go into effect, over 15,000 Bucks senior citizens who receive Medicaid will be threatened with homelessness. That is what I want Brian Fitzpatrick to consider in the run up to the vote on this bill. I want him to think about the elderly members of our community who will lose their homes if he votes for this monstrosity. The Congressman has claimed that his ‘red-line’ is cuts to services for vulnerable community members. We all want to see him live up to that promise he made.”

Another View: From The White House

SNAP BENEFITS - Only 28 percent of able-bodied adults on SNAP work, according to the White House. "OBBB promotes work, responsibility, and restores SNAP to serve the truly needy," the White House says. "SNAP enrollment remains high even in a strong economy, including millions of able-bodied adults who could work. In fact, almost three-quarters of able-bodied adults without dependents on SNAP have no earned income," the White House says. "The mission of the program has failed. SNAP was intended to be temporary help for those who encounter tough times — the bill is strengthening the program to serve those who need it most," says the White House.

MEDICARE - "Medicare has not been touched in this bill— absolutely nothing in the bill reduces spending on Medicare benefits," the White House said. "This legislation does not make a single cut to welfare programs — it safeguards and protects these programs for all eligible Americans," according to the White House.

PEOPLE WILL DIE FROM THIS LEGISLATION - "This is one of the most egregious, deranged attacks peddling fear over the facts," the White House said. "The OBBB protects eligible Americans on federal welfare – including Medicaid. By strengthening the integrity of Medicaid by eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse, its resources can be refocused on providing better care for those whom the program was designed to serve: pregnant women, children, people with disabilities, low-income seniors, and other vulnerable low-income families."

SOCIAL SECURITY - "OBBB delivers historic tax relief to seniors, with a new tax deduction that, combined with other deductions, ensures the average Social Security beneficiary will pay zero taxes on Social Security," the White House said..