DWC Leaders Slam Trump and Republicans for Putting Billionaires Over Families At Pre-Speech Press Conference
**Livestream link HERE**
WASHINGTON, D.C. — TODAY, Tuesday, March 4, leaders from the Democratic Women’s Caucus, including Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-05), DWC Chair Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03), DWC Vice Chair Emilia Sykes (OH-13), DWC Vice Chair Hillary Scholten (MI-03), and DWC Policy Task Force Co-Chair Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) and Sarah Wroblewski, parent of Declan, a four year old with brain cancer, called out President Trump, Elon Musk, and Republicans for putting billionaires over women and families every single day.
Trump’s America costs women too much. Women can’t afford eggs. They can’t afford attacks on their health care. And they can’t afford the discrimination and abuse peddled by the Trump administration. The speakers shared stories of the women and families across America whose lives President Trump, Republicans, and Elon Musk are making harder and more expensive—all to give tax cuts to billionaires.
“Women cannot afford Trump. He costs us too much in terms of money, health, lives and safety,” said Democratic Women’s Caucus Chair Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03). “We cannot afford to have 40% of newborn infants at increased risk of health complications because their mothers lost Medicaid coverage. We cannot afford increased grocery prices from Trump declaring war on our allies Canada and Mexico. We cannot afford him stealing our reproductive health care or the right to decide when and how to have a family.”
"Elon Musk makes more in a day than the NIH spends on childhood cancer research in a year, but it's still not enough to satiate his greed," said Democratic Whip Katherine Clark. "Now, he's ordering Republicans to defund NIH research and children’s health care—all to funnel the money into his own pockets. Those Republicans might not care about the consequences. But for families like Sarah Wroblewski's, everything is at stake."
"Medicaid cuts are a direct attack on women’s health and economic security, threatening nearly 40% of all children and a third of moms and newborns in Michigan," said DWC Vice Chair Hillary Scholten (MI-03). "Medicaid is the backbone of our healthcare system, and Trump wants to rip it away. These cuts are an assault on the dignity and well-being of the 18 million women and 40 million children who rely on Medicaid across the country, and we will not stand for it."
Ohio’s 13th Congressional District relies on Medicaid, which covers the care of more than 201,000 people in my district including more than 83,000 kids,” said DWC Vice Chair Emilia Sykes (OH-13). “And our district doesn’t just rely on Medicaid for health care coverage – it’s a huge contributor to our economy. My district’s biggest employer is its healthcare system. Our four biggest hospitals – Summa Health System, Aultman, Akron Children’s, and Akron General – employ nearly 30,000 people in our district. We can’t afford any cuts to Medicaid.”
“Donald Trump does three things consistently. He lies, he cheats, and he steals. He is lying about saying that shrinking the federal workforce will increase government efficiency. He is cheating the American people out of a government that we all deserve. And he is stealing billions of our taxpayer dollars by cutting Social Security, Medicaid, and firing workers left and right,” said DWC Policy Task Force Co-Chair Sydney Kamlager Dove (CA-37).
“I am here on behalf of the bravest four-year-old you’ll ever meet, my son Declan. In August of 2023, Declan was diagnosed with stage four brain cancer… I am here on behalf of all the parents who are sitting in hospital rooms with their children right now. When it comes to finding less toxic treatments and cures for kids battling cancer, we don’t have a single day to spare,” said Sarah Wroblewski, parent of Declan, a four year old with brain cancer. “This is not about politics, bureaucracy, or efficiency, It’s about families who are literally holding their breaths hoping that tomorrow brings the breakthrough that saves their child’s life. Cutting NIH funding will cost families, my family’s precious hope, and it will certainly cost children their lives.”
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