Protesting the proposed cuts to Medicaid, housing, meals help, and different important applications, demonstrators, holding up tombstone indicators, stage a die-in exterior the Inventory Change in New York, New York, on March 15, 2025. The die-in was a part of a march by a coalition of labor unions, political motion, and neighborhood teams towards the DOGE and Trump cuts.
Photograph by Gabriele Holtermann
A coalition of labor unions, political motion, and neighborhood teams united for a rally and march on March 15, protesting Elon Musk’s and President Trump’s mass federal layoffs and proposed $2 trillion cuts from Medicaid, Medicare, housing and meals help, schooling, and different important applications.
The march kicked off with a rally in Foley Sq. in downtown Manhattan, the place Marcella Gohen held an indication with photos of her husband, Robert Viteri. Gohen advised New York News Metro that Viteri was identified with a uncommon neurological illness and has been in a nursing residence for the previous 9 years. Viteri depends on Medicaid to pay for his care.
Gohen fears that if Medicaid, the biggest medical insurance program within the nation, have been minimize, sufferers like her husband would die.
“My message today is my husband’s not a waste,” Gohen mentioned. “If they’re going to cut Medicaid, they’re killing people.”
Marcella Gohen’s husband Robert Viteri is in a nursing residence and depends on Medicaid for his care.Photograph by Gabriele Holtermann
On Feb. 25, the Home handed a Republican price range decision calling for $4.5 trillion in tax cuts for the wealthiest People. The decision additionally elevated border enforcement and protection applications by $300 billion whereas reducing Medicaid by $880 billion and schooling cuts of $330 billion over the subsequent ten years. Because the begin of Trump’s second administration on Jan. 20, Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) has additionally spearheaded federal layoffs that despatched tens of 1000’s of workers to the unemployment line.
Anthony Peterson, vp of 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Staff East, representing 400,000 members, together with retirees, defined that reducing Medicaid could be detrimental to union members and their sufferers.
“We have to come to the streets and let the people know we’re ready to fight. And we’re fighting for all unions, all people, all cultures, for everybody,” Peterson advised New York News Metro.
New Yorkers rally towards the proposed cuts to Medicaid, housing, meals help, and different important applications in Foley Sq. in New York, New York, on March 15, 2025. The rally was a part of a march, organized by a coalition of labor unions, political motion, and neighborhood teams.Photograph by Gabriele Holtermann 
1199 SEIU union members rally towards the proposed cuts to Medicaid, housing, meals help, and different important applications in Foley Sq. in New York, New York, on March 15, 2025. The rally was a part of a march, organized by a coalition of labor unions, political motion, and neighborhood teams.Photograph by Gabriele Holtermann
His message to Trump supporters impacted by the cuts was, “Wake up. I hope they’ve seen for themselves that they are affected by this, and we were fighting for them anyway, and we’re gonna continue to fight, and we’re gonna pull them along the way.”
In response to officers, round 5,500 protestors marched down Broadway previous Metropolis Corridor to Bowling Inexperienced, bearing banners and indicators. Just a few hundred protestors cut up from the march and took a left activate Wall Road to stage a die-in in entrance of the New York Inventory Change, the place demonstrators held up tombstone-like indicators with messages resembling “DOGE Cuts Let Ebola Into USA,” “Died From No Health Insurance,” or “DOGE Cut Off My Medicaid,” highlighting the worst-case situations if important providers have been minimize.
Lisa Raymond-Tolan with Indivisible Brooklyn, which created the indicators, advised New York News Metro that whereas they have been protesting the proposed cuts, the “landscape was a little different” after Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer (D-New York) and 9 different Democratic senators voted for the GOP funding invoice on Friday to keep away from a authorities shutdown.
A coalition of labor unions, political motion, and neighborhood teams march towards the DOGE and Trump cuts in in New York, New York, on March 15, 2025. Some expressed their outrage with Senator Chuck Schumer (D-New York) for voting to advance the Republican funding invoice.Photograph by Gabriele Holtermann 
A coalition of labor unions, political motion, and neighborhood teams march towards DOGE and proposed cuts to Medicaid, housing, meals help, and different important applications in New York, New York, on March 15, 2025.Photograph by Gabriele Holtermann 
A coalition of labor unions, political motion, and neighborhood teams march towards DOGE and proposed cuts to Medicaid, housing, meals help, and different important applications in in New York, New York, on March 15, 2025.Photograph by Gabriele Holtermann 
A coalition of labor unions, political motion, and neighborhood teams march towards DOGE and proposed cuts to Medicaid, housing, meals help, and different important applications in in New York, New York, on March 15, 2025.Photograph by Gabriele Holtermann
Whereas protestors joined the refrain of Home Democrats who’ve slammed the Senate minority chief for siding with Senate Republicans, Schumer has defended his vote for the GOP short-term funding invoice — arguing that President Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE would have used a authorities shutdown to chop funding and hearth federal workers at file velocity. Raymond-Tolan additionally feels that Schumer betrayed his constituents.
“Neither choice was a good choice, but there was only one right choice, and that is to oppose a fascist regime,” mentioned Raymond-Tolan, although she was positive that the Senate minority chief misplaced a “little sleep” over the vote.
“But he’s going to lose so much more sleep because Indivisible is going to be calling for his resignation, and he might lose his job as leader because he’s not fit to lead,” Raymond-Tolan mentioned. “If you’re not ready to meet the moment and fight, then you’re not fit to lead us to save democracy.”
Protesting the proposed cuts to Medicaid, housing, meals help, and different important applications, demonstrators, holding up tombstone indicators, stage a die-in exterior the Inventory Change in New York, New York, on March 15, 2025. The die-in was a part of a march by a coalition of labor unions, political motion, and neighborhood teams towards the DOGE and Trump cuts.Photograph by Gabriele Holtermann 
Protesting the proposed cuts to Medicaid, housing, meals help, and different important applications, demonstrators, holding up tombstone indicators, stage a die-in exterior the Inventory Change in New York, New York, on March 15, 2025. The die-in was a part of a march by a coalition of labor unions, political motion, and neighborhood teams towards the DOGE and Trump cuts.Photograph by Gabriele Holtermann
Brooklynites Nevaeh and Salma marched to cease the schooling cuts.
“[Trump] is making these cuts for his own benefit,” 18-year-old Nevaeh mentioned. “He’s cutting our education to fund the police. We don’t need more police. We need to be able to go to college without any problem [and] graduate with a degree.”
19-year-old Salma grew up in an immigrant household and advised New York News Metro that their life was “hard” till her mom joined the U.S. Military.
“We got that chance, and the second we get that chance, we feel like it’s getting taken away from us,” Salma mentioned. “It’s just not fair to everybody. [Trump] is turning his back on everybody, including his own people, in a way. So it’s like broken promises.”
