Healthcare workers from across the Capital Region gathered Saturday to voice concern over the Trump administration’s healthcare policies and proposed funding cuts.
Nurses, medical researchers, and employees caring for the most vulnerable gathered at the Albany Labor Temple to attend a forum hosted by the New York State AFL-CIO and the Capital District Area Labor Federation, featuring Congressman Paul Tonko.
The Democrat from the 20th district told panelists Americans face "unprecedented times." Tonko spoke just before lawmakers returned to Washington to take up President Trump’s domestic agenda, after approving a budget framework earlier this year.
"With a Republican budget reconciliation package that would decimate Medicaid with a $880 billion cut proposed, assigned to the committee," said Tonko. "I happen to serve on Energy and Commerce. That's the largest cut that the budget resolution approved by the House, approved by the Republican majority in the House. That's the largest cut placed on any committee, on any committee table, and the others aren't pretty easy also. We've got $330 billion, I believe, on Education and Labor, $230 billion on agriculture. That includes all of the nutrition programs, the feeding programs, snap programs, important, vital to all age groups, from youngsters developing, to seniors who need to stay well or are recovering from illness, nutrition is a very important factor for them. So these aren't just numbers on a spreadsheet. They represent real threats to your job, to your working conditions, and most importantly, to the patients and the community, to the consumers that we serve.”
Tonko heard firsthand accounts of those on the frontlines of the healthcare system.
Jessica Sweet is a claims specialist at the Social Security Administration and a member of the American Federation of Government Employees.
“I do not speak on behalf of Social Security or the union, but I showed up today because it's very important to me that people understand how everything is interconnected. The firing of the federal workers. Decreases and suspensions and terminations of benefits and other entitlements that the American people have. I mean, if I had a magic wand, all federal workers would have their jobs back, and American people wouldn't be absolutely petrified of what this administration is doing,” said Sweet.
Medicaid, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, and SNAP are under scrutiny from DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, to combat perceived waste, fraud and abuse. The House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees Medicare and Medicaid, has been tasked with finding at least $880 billion in savings over 10 years, which would include finding and taking ineligible recipients off of Medicaid.
Congress is also considering having states that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act shoulder more of the burden. The federal government currently pays 90% of the costs for that expansion.
Michael Fitzsimmons is an RN at Albany Medical Center and is a member of NYSNA, the New York State Nurses Association union. He decries cuts to government programs.
“70% of our patients rely on Medicare and Medicaid, and we also have a lot of research that goes on there. So any kind of cuts in these government programs are going to really affect things at Albany Med,” Fitzsimmons said.
Fitzsimmons says that for years NYSNA nurses have had to deal with chronic understaffing at the hospital, noting they have been working at Albany Med without a contract since August 1st. Bargaining sessions between the union and the hospital have stalled.
Albany Med sent a statement in response to a request for comment, which says in part that the hospital has added hundreds of new registered nurses in the past year. It adds: “As we continue to listen to our nurses and advocate for them as we always have, we are also closely monitoring any proposed cuts to Medicare and Medicaid and any potential impacts.”
Tonko said he will work to protect mental health and disability services along with appropriate staffing levels and healthcare policies that “recognize the dignity and the value of both patients and providers.”
"In the coming months, we're going to have to fight tooth and nail in DC for working Americans," said Tonko. "We already are fighting, and I promise to keep bringing your stories directly to those debates. When my colleagues speak of budget efficiency and fiscal responsibility. I'll remind them of the real human cost you've shared today. As your representative, my commitment to you is unwavering, and I will continue to fight for full funding, full funding, of Medicaid and Medicare programs. Keep your greedy hands off our Medicaid programs!"
CSEA member Zakaya Rhymer is a direct support aide at the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities. She urges federal lawmakers to “look beyond the numbers and see the human faces” behind the services the agency offers.
“Our main concern is, how are we going to be able to continue to provide these services. We do serve very vulnerable populations, and how we treat them is a reflection of our society as a whole. So there are a lot of worries about how we will be able to do our jobs and ensure that they have an equity at life,” Rhymer said.
The OPWDD Communications Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Chris Pulley works for Conifer Park addiction treatment centers and is a member of the Communications Workers of America (CWA). “We stand in front of people every day and we ask them, and we try to sell them back their lives. We ask them what the concerns are. We have to sell them back to life. That's what I do every day. If the Medicaid gets cut, I'm not gonna be able to do that. Now, these people we're talking about are our brothers and sisters. They're our aunts and uncles. They're our mothers and fathers. Sometimes they’re our kids. We need this right? And my job. I can go sell cars, I can sell anything, but they need me in there. They need me talking to them and they need me addressing their concerns. They need me talking about their mental health concerns, their past problems. I understand them. They understand me. We need this,” said Pulley.
Tonko warns "the path ahead won't be easy."
"The forums like this one remind me why this fight matters. While these times are frightening, this is a critical moment for us to be informed and engaged," said Tonko,
