Granite Staters and Senate Leader Rally Ahead of Marathon Budget Hearing to Highlight Devastating Impacts of Proposed Cuts On Hard Working Families
CONCORD, NH — Today, ahead of the Senate’s public hearing on the proposed State Budget, a broad coalition of community based organizations came together with nearly 300 Granite Staters to rally on the steps of the State House. With nearly as many people signing up to testify at the hearing, the message was clear: people are angry and scared about cuts that will drive up costs and threaten healthcare access. Granite Staters demand a budget that meets the real needs of families, workers, and our communities – not the ultra wealthy.
"We have heard a lot this year about how this is ‘a tight budget year’ and there are ‘choices that have to be made.’ But make no mistake, Republicans have had control in Concord for the past decade. The cuts we’re seeing now in housing, child care, and workforce support are the result of their choices. And now Granite Staters are paying the price.” said Senator Rebecca Perkins Kwoka, Leader of the Senate Democrats.
“Today’s hearing reaffirms who our state government is really working for,” said Matt Mooshian, Program Director at 603 Forward. “Rather than investing in the systems that provide working people with security, like access to affordable housing, this budget continues to prioritize handouts for the wealthiest. As the legislature takes steps in the right direction by passing pro-housing legislation, the severe cuts in this budget threaten to stall the real progress we’re making. Republican lawmakers are choosing to make our housing shortage worse by refusing to fund the critical infrastructure needed to support increased housing development.
To add insult to injury, Republican lawmakers seem intent on making it as difficult as possible for Granite Staters to participate in the process–scheduling the only hearings in the middle of the workday, lecturing them about the brevity of their remarks, and attempting to censure the budget shortfalls that advocates are there to address, rather than considering what they have to say.”
Across the state, voices from every sector—educators, health care workers, religious leaders, housing advocates, small business owners, and students—spoke out during the rally in strong opposition to a budget that ignores the pressing challenges facing everyday people.
“This is not just a policy disagreement—it’s a moral one," said Louise Spencer, Concord Community Organizer and Leader of Kent Street Coalition. We cannot build a New Hampshire by continuing to neglect the most basic and fundamental needs of our people. The continued refusal to address this reality is appalling. While today represents the final opportunity for community members to speak before lawmakers, it is by no means the end of this fight. The overwhelming turnout today attests to Granite Staters’ commitment to mobilize and fight for a budget that funds the needs of their communities – not the fortunes of the top 1%.”
The rally featured powerful testimony from Granite Staters across the state who shared how the proposed budget would impact their lives, families, and communities:
“The same politicians who tell us ‘we don’t know why we don’t have any money,’ are the same ones protecting tax breaks for the ultra-rich and corporations while families like mine are left to fend for ourselves. It’s ignoring the child care educators who can’t afford to stay in the field which could force centers to close. It’s pretending families are fine when we are clearly not.”
- Sarah Georges, Manchester
“New Hampshire famously contributes the smallest amount to higher education nationwide, putting the burden of these expenses on students. For the sake of me and the 30,000 students who live, learn and love in New Hampshire, I encourage all of you to join our fight for our universities. Because this isn’t a fight for Plymouth, or for me, this is a fight for New Hampshire.
- Jeremiah Githu, Plymouth State Sophomore
“The investments we seek from the state government not only have proven 5 to 1 returns but are critical in keeping the identity of New Hampshire uniquely our own. Local nonprofits understand NH communities and serve this state well. Elected officials have a responsibility to support their efforts and keep the identity and well being of this state in our own hands.”
- Sal Prizio, Arts4NH chair, Executive Director of the Capitol Center for the Arts
We care about state budgets because we care about one another. We care about people experiencing homelessness who need safe shelter and food as they rebuild their lives. We care that all children get a good public education that includes things they might disagree with. Let us not believe the lie that we don’t have the money. They have the money to give to radical right religious schools. They have the money to give tax cuts to the rich. If we have the money for those things, we have the money to care for one another. Because the budget is a moral document that should show that we live in a community with one another and care that all of us get what we need.
- Pastor Jon Hopkins, Concordia Lutheran Church
“You want to force people to get sick or die because there wasn’t health insurance? You want to destroy medicaid’s community-based care so rich people can enjoy tax breaks? New Hampshire lawmakers do not have a right to go after us. You want to take away my life? I say no...I will continue fighting tooth and nail to protect medicaid. It is a lifeline for me. If you want to come after us, we’ll come after you. Medicaid needs more funding–not less. No waitlists. No premiums. No work requirements. Find some moral conscience and find some revenue. Reinstate the Interest and Dividends tax and most importantly keep your hands off Medicaid.
- Forrest Beaudoin-Friede, Medicaid Advocate
“Overnight, and in the past 106 days under this new administration, we're fighting for the rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Act. It's like we're back in the 70s—fighting for people's civil rights. As [my son] Tyler completes his freshman year, we can't afford to wait for change. He's not going to get a chance to do these four years ever again. Change has to happen now. The current budget and policies therein threaten his full participation in high school. That's why we're here today. We need to hold lawmakers accountable for prioritizing wealthy corporations over hardworking families like myself and kids like Tyler. We're not just numbers on a spreadsheet. We're constituents sharing our stories to illustrate exactly what's at stake.”
- Karin Mortimer, parent from Merrimack navigating special education and Medicaid system
603 Forward envisions a thriving New Hampshire where all people are free to live, work and raise a family. In our New Hampshire: democracy is protected above all else; young people have a voice in government at all levels; and policy changes help to build an inclusive, affordable, and resilient state.
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