Union members with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees [AFSCME] Council 31 said Monday that the GOP's tax cut and spending plan passed this summer will bring devastating cuts to the Illinois State University community and beyond.
It was AFSCME's third event in a series where speakers “will sound the alarm” on the how the Republican plan will effect their communities across the state. Monday's event at ISU featured U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, a Democrat whose 17th Congressional District includes parts of Bloomington-Normal.
Chuck Carver is president of AFSCME Local 1110, which represents around 350 building, grounds, and food service workers at ISU. Carver called cuts to student loan programs and other public services a "disaster." He said for students across the state, it keeps them cut off from higher education.
“This law makes changes to student loan programs and repayment plans that makes grants harder to get, loans more expensive and harder to repay,” he said. “It caps the amount students’ families can borrow to pay for higher education.”
Carver called the cuts to higher education “shameful” and “cruel.” He said they would leave young people behind.
“Working people and young people who just want to go to college to earn a degree, to make a way for themselves, are being hurt,” Carver said. “There is no reason for it. There is no reason why we need to take these opportunities away to give billionaires more money.”
Carver said the cuts could lead to a cycle of loss among students and workers, one that no one involved in the cuts deserves.
“By making it harder for students to afford a college education, enrollment at ISU is likely to drop. This could lead to layoffs of us who work on campus. It could lead to programs being cut and fewer campus services for students who are still able come to school,” he said. “Students don’t deserve that, ISU workers don’t deserve that, and Bloomington-Normal doesn’t deserve that.”
Heather Stanhouse of Gridley is president of AFSCME Local 674 and a caseworker at the Illinois Department of Human Services. As a human services caseworker, she regularly works on connecting residents with healthcare and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program known as SNAP.
“Nobody comes to our office because they want to. They come because they are desperate for help,” she said. “They’re asking for the bare minimum they need to survive, but this budget law rammed through Congress by billionaires and their 'yes' men and women in Congress are taking those bare necessities away.”
Stanhouse said 360,000 Illinois residents are among the 22 million nationwide who are expected to lose their SNAP benefits. She said the bill takes away benefits from the poorest and most vulnerable people.
“… To give money to billionaires who don’t need another dime. It’s really that simple,” Stanhouse said. “These cuts will impact the working poor, the elderly, the young, the homeless. They’re really taking a jab at the most vulnerable who can’t fight back.”
Stanhouse said the cuts are not a part of the kind of country she wants to live in.
Betty Christensen represents AFSCME sub-chapter 69, which includes retirees. After spending 31 years as a paraprofessional in Rockford Public Schools, her concerns are with those who depend on Medicaid to support themselves.
“I couldn’t imagine what my life would be like if Medicare wasn’t there for me or if Social Security benefits were slashed,” Christensen said. “I know with the cost of living, many of the seniors are being forced to take tradeoffs that no one should have to take.”
She said some seniors have to make the decision between taking their medication as scheduled or waiting for the next time they can get a refill.
Christensen said after her years working in schools, she knew how to identify a bully, and she identified President Trump as one.
“It’s like we’re all being bullied by that one person, and we don’t know what we need to do,” Sorensen said. “I’ll tell you what we need to do: We stand up, we use our voices, we make our voices heard and we say, ‘No, you can’t do this.’”
While the bill was signed into law July 4, Sorensen said constituents can show they do not give up on an issue even after legislation is passed. He said standing up is important so residents can let their neighbors know what their values are.
“These are real families trying to stretch their grocery budget, these are students worried about losing their chance at college, and seniors who depend on Medicaid for their care,” Sorensen said. “These are real struggles, from real people. These are real families; these are our friends and these are our neighbors.”
Sorenson said he will not refer to the bill by the name "One Big, Beautiful Bill Act." He said the bill and its effects are ugly.
