Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) holds a town hall event in the district of Rep. John James (R-MI).
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00:00So we are one of the newly formed indivisible groups in Macomb County and we have grown to
00:10just over 500 members in the last 13 weeks. We are outraged by what's happening in our country
00:18and the assault on our democracy and that is why we've decided to act. In those 13 weeks we
00:25visited John James office and we got the police called on us. We visited Gary Peters office.
00:39We helped organize a Medicaid press conference where 60 people showed up. We organized the
00:45where's John James protest where we had 300 attendees. And we helped organize the April
00:565th hands-off protests in Detroit for over 6,000 and now we're hosting this town hall. We will
01:11fight hard for our community and we will do everything in our power to stop the cuts to
01:17Medicaid, SNAP, and to protect the families and individuals in Macomb County. We've invited
01:24John James, as the rest of our speakers have said, to be here, but where is he?
01:29He has a reputation for not showing up for his constituents, so we didn't expect him to show
01:41up. So we came prepared and we are honored to have a special guest with us tonight to inform
01:47you about what's actually happening in Congress and to answer your questions. Representative Rashida
01:53Tlaib spent six years in the Michigan legislature and she's in her seventh year in Congress.
01:59She is the most proud to have grown up in a working-class family in southwest Detroit. She is the
02:06eldest of 14 and the proud mom of two boys. Representative Tlaib is one of only 69 members of Congress who does
02:16not take corporate PAC money. And she is guided by the belief that everyone, not just the wealthy and
02:32privileged, deserves access to opportunity and a better quality of life. Rashida Tlaib has dedicated her life to
02:40amplifying and addressing the concerns of everyday people in her district across Michigan and around the country.
02:47And so I have for you, Representative Tlaib.
02:51Now, you all are amazing. You know, fighting fascism takes 24-7 and it comes together, resistance,
02:57it goes hard and inspires again. This moment right now that we will not stand still and it comes
03:04together, resistance, it goes hard and inspires again. This moment right now that we will not stand
03:11still and be paralyzed with the amount of fear and anxiety that many of you have, you're showing up, you're
03:18fighting back and you're saying to the person that you elected or was elected for your community, again, you should
03:23show up, you have questions that have questions that have you have Uh, you should have questions that have
03:32need answers. And so I'm really proud. When I met Katrina, I totally, we were just in, you know, I saw that there was a protest in front of Congress of John James
03:41that has neat answers, and so I'm really proud.
03:45When I met Katrina, I totally, we were just in, you know,
03:48I saw that there was a protest in front of Congressman John Jayne's district office,
03:53and I just showed up.
03:54I didn't tell everybody I was coming because I needed to do it too
03:57because there's three or four Republicans that we need, only three or four,
04:01and if Michigan can do something, we can organize our backyard to deliver at least one,
04:06and that could be Congressman John Jayne.
04:08So thank you all again for your incredible work.
04:11You know, in the past professional district, one of the things we did yesterday,
04:17we had to resist together town hall and training because folks are showing up,
04:22and I want you all to be equipped, right, but also to understand what the real impact is
04:27of $880 billion cut to your community.
04:30So I'm going to show you, again, in numbers, but behind every number is a parent with a child
04:36that relies on Medicaid, is a mother who relies on prenatal and postpartum,
04:40care, all of that.
04:43It is a person that relies on long-term care to be covered by Medicaid.
04:48So just remember with these numbers.
04:49So it is important to understand, again, what the impact is in the town's congressional district.
04:53So we know that tens of millions of Americans, you should know as the founder of the Congressional Mamas Caucus,
05:00over 40% of births around the country depend on Medicaid.
05:05Wow.
05:06Yes.
05:07But I want you to see this.
05:09This is your congressional district.
05:11This is your backyard.
05:13Look how many individuals, 23% of Congressman John Jayne's district relies on Medicaid.
05:1823%, 23%.
05:2069,000 of them are children, including 17,000 children who have disabilities or living with disabilities.
05:29Yes.
05:30Exactly.
05:31And as a person that is a mom with an autistic child, I know how important it is for the wraparound programs and services.
05:37And let's be honest.
05:39You know, Medicaid is that band-aid to sick care in our country.
05:41We don't have health care.
05:42We have sick care.
05:43It's driven by profit.
05:44And one thing that Medicaid has done, though, because it's not a choice, it's a life-saving tool that has provided care for our families.
05:522,800 births per year in the congressional district.
05:55Again, that depends on the postnatal, prenatal.
05:59And we're just finishing up Black Maternal Health Week.
06:02Again, Michigan is one of the worst in the country when it comes to Black Maternal Health.
06:0717,000 seniors, including over 1,000, receive care through Medicaid, long-term care.
06:14Next slide.
06:16I want you to know, again, about 2022.
06:19Again, these numbers might not be fully updated.
06:22But I want you to see.
06:23Now, you see this number and you're like, wow, but that's your money.
06:27This is your money.
06:29Don't let them think that it's something that this is the bare minimum of what they can do while they have big farm on the health industry.
06:37Again, be journeyed by profit.
06:39We're subsidizing that with this care.
06:42It is important for you, again, to see.
06:47Again, what's the importance here of is that we're covering.
06:51This is something that would devastate a family.
06:53I've seen it.
06:54I've seen the people on private health care have to put a mortgage on their home or file bankruptcy because of medical debt.
07:02Next slide.
07:02Again, we should, again, this is very important for you to know that in the town congressional district, 55,000 adults gain coverage through the expansion.
07:12Again, how many of you are on Affordable Care Act?
07:15The budget proposal, I am too.
07:17I know I'm not one of the millionaires that is in Congress.
07:19But one of the things to know is that the data shows that it will be a 50%, 40% to 50% increase in the Affordable Care Act.
07:28That's about $630 per year addition of what you already pay with the $880 million they're putting in there.
07:37Again, that's nearly $1 trillion.
07:39Again, it's really important.
07:40And I know Medicaid, what's important, again, to the economy for you all to see, this is important, but hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, all the areas that are the largest employers have deep economic ties to Medicaid.
07:55That's why you see Coralwell and others.
07:57Now, again, they need to be checked, too.
07:59I'm going to be on record of that.
08:01No, we do.
08:02Because they have shareholders.
08:04Hospitals have shareholders, no.
08:06Even though I have a 501c3 status, again, you have sick care in our country, not health care.
08:13So Medicaid is critical for the town professional district.
08:20So I want you to talk about this a little bit.
08:22And this is something I talked to my residents yesterday.
08:24We had over 400 people show up to our town hall.
08:27And one of the things that I explained to folks is you're going to hear a lot of my colleagues say that it's $880 billion.
08:33I had one colleague literally put it up and go, the word Medicaid is not in the proposal.
08:41He's gaslighting all of them.
08:43Yeah, it's not in there.
08:46It's true.
08:47But Energy and Commerce Committee oversees Medicare, Medicaid, Affordable Care Act.
08:52That's where it is.
08:54There's no way you're going to cut nearly a trillion dollars without touching Medicaid.
08:59There's no way.
09:00Know that Protect Our Care, a national organization that is fighting on this front, is spending $10 million just on educational ads, showing people.
09:10There's a colleague in California, a Republican colleague, 62% of his constituents rely on Medicaid.
09:16So this is something that's nonpartisan.
09:19This impacts all of us, no matter your political affiliation.
09:22Next slide.
09:24Now, this is important.
09:25Why are they doing this?
09:27Other than it's cool.
09:31They're doing this because they want to do $4.5 trillion.
09:35Not millions.
09:37Not billions.
09:38Trillions.
09:40Dollars in tax.
09:41It's in there.
09:42Not made up.
09:43I mean, this is Congressional Budget.
09:44Everybody will show you.
09:45It's in there.
09:47Next slide.
09:50Next slide.
09:51Well, they all know that.
09:52So I want to show you all that.
09:53I want to show you all this because this is, now I just want you to see this.
09:57Look at this.
09:59So this is the Trump tax plan from before, the proposal from before.
10:03This is what they want to expand on.
10:05This is currently, look at this.
10:07They pay nothing.
10:10Now, how many of you all pay federal tax?
10:12Well, really?
10:12All of us.
10:13We pay some sort of, they pay no federal income tax.
10:16None of these folks.
10:17Well, DG increases our rates.
10:19You know?
10:21Yeah, I know.
10:22Next slide.
10:24It keeps going, y'all.
10:25It doesn't stop.
10:2725 corporations, states.
10:28I hate the word right.
10:29We hate the state, Layla.
10:30We got to talk.
10:33$67 billion.
10:35Look at this.
10:36These folks benefited.
10:41Yes.
10:43I know that he doesn't.
10:44I actually said that when he did it.
10:46So what can you do?
10:50Before we go into this, I think it's really important to know that, you know, many of my
10:57colleagues, Republican, even Democrats, it's very hard sometimes for them to be fully
11:02frank with everyone about the fact that, again, you're talking about health care.
11:06You're talking about Department of Education.
11:07You're talking about, today I just was at Earth Day with EPA workers and everyone.
11:12Sometimes you're going to see folks say, oh, they're not cutting that.
11:15But they're cutting the federal workforce that runs the program.
11:19So pay attention to that.
11:21They may not, oh, we're not touching Social Security.
11:23But then they're cutting 50% of the Social Security Administration staff.
11:27So when you call, it's delayed.
11:29For instance, VA, I have the John Dingell VA.
11:31There's a lot of John Dingell VA hospitals.
11:34And many of my folks go to that hospital specifically.
11:37And I can tell you, I have a gentleman, a veteran, outpatient surgery, outpatient care.
11:43They called him because they got rid of all the surgical tech folks.
11:47He's waiting another three months before he can come.
11:49It's not like people can stop being sick.
11:52It's not like people can stop, again, whatever the issues and challenges they have.
11:56And, again, these are promises we made to our constituents that we would have their back.
12:00And this is our money.
12:02Like, I hate that we don't see it that way, but it is ours.
12:05If there's anything that I think the American people want us to support, it's making sure, again, nobody plans to get sick.
12:11Nobody plans to have a disability.
12:14Nobody plans to come from serving our country with, you know, exposure to toxins.
12:19Nobody plans any of that.
12:22But they come back and we make a promise that we take care of each other.
12:26And, again, this is, again, them breaking that promise.
12:29What can you do?
12:30There's a lot you can do.
12:31One, you showed up.
12:32Thank you for that.
12:35You know, this is overwhelming because it's hard to believe it's only been, what, 12, 13 weeks of this.
12:44I know.
12:45I know.
12:45It's so hard to believe, but this is a lot in 13 weeks.
12:49But one thing we know is we need three to four Republicans.
12:54What can we do?
12:55We can organize our backyard.
12:56That's why I'm here.
12:57I think if there's one thing Michigan can do is get one of the Republicans to create that wall that is needed.
13:03The hope that I have is in the Senate, when that budget proposal passed out of the House and it went to the Senate, again, one of the Missouri senators who I don't even like, you know, I was like surprised he was doing it.
13:15He's from Missouri.
13:16And he introduced an amendment.
13:19I know, I'm trying not to put their name out there.
13:22So, you know, because he did fix me something else.
13:25So, one of the things to know is, like, even when he offered that, I was like, this is great.
13:30We're going to be able to take this in the Senate.
13:34And they almost got there.
13:35I think it only got a lot.
13:36We lost that amendment, and it was like a hands-off Medicaid.
13:39Don't touch Medicaid.
13:41It was a beautiful amendment, y'all.
13:43And in there, again, it was to protect Medicaid, and we did almost get there.
13:48I think Susan Collins and some other folks supported it, and unfortunately, I think we were one or two votes different, too, away from making that happen.
13:58So, then it comes back to the House.
14:00I was there.
14:01We were supposed to vote on it on a Wednesday or Thursday.
14:03I care if it was a Wednesday.
14:05We waited for two and a half hours on the floor, and I said, wow, they must not have the vote.
14:09This is great.
14:10I know.
14:10I'm excited.
14:12And then I was like, oh, they don't have the vote.
14:14They don't have the vote.
14:14I don't know what happened overnight, you know, you've probably seen on the news.
14:19I'm sure people got called into the principal's office, the fascist's office.
14:24And I can tell you what happened, I think, is people changed their minds.
14:29Because I'll tell you, people were getting quoted publicly.
14:32I didn't vote for that.
14:33No way.
14:34Heck no.
14:35And then all of a sudden, they pulled it up that following Thursday.
14:38And I was like, Thursday, Thursday.
14:40But it only got passed from 214 to 216, two votes different.
14:47We're almost there, y'all.
14:49We're almost there.
14:50And if we can, again, this is a person, your member of Congress wants to run for governor.
14:55Oh, no.
15:01This is Medicaid, again, is impacting Michigan's folks from all over.
15:09And so I reiterate to you all, there's something we can do, we have control over, is to organize.
15:16And the McComb County, all of you in the Trump Congressional District can deliver one Republican.
15:20You are getting closer and saving our country.
15:23So know you can join organizations and take direct action.
15:27These are some of the three.
15:27I know there's some tabling out there.
15:30Get active.
15:31Join them.
15:31One of the things you should know, last night, every single one of my residents left, we have 200 packets of postcards that have specific data from Macomb County residents that are impacted by Medicaid.
15:42So I said, let's do neighbor-to-neighbor cards.
15:44So you might get a card from one of my constituents who's going to send you a card saying, please call John James' office.
15:51Because my congresswoman is voting now.
15:54Yours continues.
15:55Again, there it is right there.
15:57Continues.
15:58This postcard is coming through.
15:59We're retarding specifically and reaching out specifically to residents that may not know that Congressman James, and we have some that still don't know, that he is voting not once, twice.
16:09He voted now three times to cut Medicaid.
16:12So, again, this is very, very important that we do that.
16:14These are some of the other organizations.
16:17Again, some of them are out here supporting.
16:19These are ways that you can get involved, reach out, and figure out ways, again, how you can get connected.
16:26What I find is when you all do it as a collective, it's like a bullhorn.
16:29It's so much louder, so much more effective and powerful.
16:34I want you to have to treat people.
16:35I learned, look, I'm the eldest of 14.
16:37You've got to have somewhat of a voting block in my family.
16:41But I'm the one.
16:42I do this place.
16:43I'm the one who says, hey, yo, this is what's happening.
16:46Okay, well, you want me to do this here.
16:48But you know of three people.
16:50You know if you call them.
16:52Not me, you.
16:54You know they'll do it.
16:56You know someone in the top congressional district that you just kind of press them.
17:00Here's the number.
17:01Call.
17:02Show up.
17:05Again, this is about saving our country and pushing back against fascism and cruelty and lawlessness.
17:11And I know that people are waiting to be asked sometimes.
17:15They want to help.
17:16But you can give them a pathway.
17:17I watch this, and my team knows this.
17:20I would say, well, bring somebody with you.
17:21And they come, and they get addicted.
17:23They want to come over and over again.
17:24How many of you have experienced that?
17:25I did.
17:26They'll come over and over again.
17:28And it's great because they feel like they are making a huge difference.
17:31So you can do that.
17:33Can I think?
17:34Yes.
17:34There he is.
17:34Okay, before I go, I can tell you this is my, you know, the very town halls we do community
17:42conversations throughout the 12th Congressional District.
17:45I've never had this many residents get up in tears full of so much fear and anxiety.
17:56I feel it too.
17:57I just want you to know, don't let them paralyze you.
18:01I know there's going to be moments that you need to rest.
18:05But also bring joy into it.
18:07You know, put music into it.
18:09Joy, march.
18:11Make it, because joy is resistance too.
18:14Yes.
18:15And so make sure that you can be heard of that.
18:18It is.
18:20You know, I love that you guys are having so much fun with the signs.
18:24They're hilarious.
18:24I mean, even though your dogs have signs.
18:27So it's just amazing that this is the way to do it.
18:30But also take care of yourself.
18:31Show for each other.
18:32Take care of each other.
18:33But also don't let them paralyze us.
18:35That's exactly what they want us to do.
18:37They want us to be paralyzed, fear, don't move, don't do anything.
18:41And remember this.
18:43You know, you might know.
18:44I come from an incredibly very beautiful, I think, 12th Congressional District.
18:48I grew up in Wayne County.
18:50And sometimes I find that, you know, a black pastor told me this.
18:53I find that sometimes we're disconnected.
18:55They build these institutions as disconnected.
18:58Our country is not divided.
19:00We are disconnected, right?
19:01We're not divided.
19:02We're disconnected.
19:03Connect with each other.
19:05Again, I can tell you, every single one of you have stories you can share with other
19:09mothers, other folks that are taking care of their loved ones, seasoned residents.
19:15All of us have these stories that are impactful.
19:17That's how we connect with each other.
19:19Because the division that they're trying to create by targeting certain people and so
19:24forth, know it's a slippery slope.
19:26We're always understanding, I do, that when somebody's due process of constitutional rights,
19:31when somebody cares about, they always end up coming to our backyard.
19:35It never, never changes.
19:37Look at our history.
19:38It always ends up in our backyard.
19:40I say this about auto insurance.
19:42Don't get me started.
19:43Where everybody thought, that's not our issue.
19:45Well, guess what?
19:45Now 90% of zip codes in the state of Michigan have unaffordable auto insurance, right?
19:51So don't let them expand and grow in this, you have to fight back together and show up together.
19:58I will leave you with this.
20:00Community mothers taught me this.
20:02And, you know, I remember, like, feeling, you know, moments of, because I grew up in
20:08a very, very polluted community.
20:10I always thought, wow, Marathon and USC, everybody's going to continue to pollute our community.
20:15It's always smelled like rotten acres growing up.
20:17I just thought, you know, this is awful.
20:20You know, I grew up four blocks north of Delaware neighborhood.
20:24Yeah.
20:26And community mothers remind me that we don't get transformative change because of who's in
20:31the White House or who's in Congress.
20:34We didn't get the Civil Rights Act because the president of the United States woke up
20:37and said, wow, that's a really good idea.
20:39Or we didn't get the right to organize unions because somebody in Congress said, let me introduce
20:44you to those, it's a great idea.
20:45It's when people organized in the streets and they demanded that change.
20:50You all have that power to move in an institution like Congress that is broken.
20:53I'm there.
20:54I have a hot row seat list.
20:55People have access to them that will never, ever, I mean, we constantly are trying to
21:00compete with it, right?
21:01I mean, look how many of them take corporate tax money.
21:04They take money from the same people that are hurting their constituents.
21:08They are choosing the billionaire class, giving those tax breaks, making us believe that it's
21:13about jobs when at the end it isn't.
21:16It's about greed, corporate greed.
21:18You all have the power to move this institution and move your member of Congress.
21:25And again, it inspired me to see this room full.
21:28This is how we, again, fight against the fascist regime that is there.
21:33And again, these are many people in my community who have really thought, God, I didn't know
21:38it was going to be this bad.
21:40I don't shame or blame.
21:41I said, you ready to join us in this fight?
21:44And they will join us.
21:45Thank you all so much.
21:46I really appreciate it.