Hundreds of constituents from New Jersey's Congressional District 4 gathered at a town hall event in Wall Township to voice their concerns over Representative Chris Smith's support for policies enacted by the Trump administration. The "Stop the Cuts" rally included federal workers, Medicaid recipients, immigrants, unions, and community groups. Senator Andy Kim joined the event to address the crowd.
Speakers at the rally expressed frustration with what they see as an overreach of power by President Trump and Elon Musk-led DOGE. They cited actions such as firing federal employees, weakening government agencies, rolling back environmental protections, and targeting immigrants.
Concerns were also raised about Smith’s vote supporting a budget bill that proposes significant cuts to healthcare services while offering tax breaks for billionaires and corporations. Participants highlighted that these cuts would impact programs like Medicaid, ACA, and SNAP—programs heavily relied upon by New Jersey residents.
Senator Andy Kim stated: “New Jerseyans are seeing Donald Trump and Elon Musk trying to take away their Medicaid, funding for their kid’s education, and other programs they rely on just to pay for tax cuts for billionaires.” He emphasized accountability for those in Congress who support these measures.
Maura Collinsgru from New Jersey Citizen Action commented on the potential consequences of reduced funding: “Providing more tax benefits to large corporations and the ultra-rich does nothing to assist New Jerseyans who are struggling with healthcare costs.”
Debbie White of HPAE warned about potential impacts on healthcare infrastructure: “These cuts will severely damage our healthcare infrastructure by preventing people from accessing lifesaving care.”
Dennis Trainor of CWA District 1 highlighted threats faced by working families due to public service funding cuts: "We will not remain silent! The urgency to take action has never been greater."
Steve Beatty from NJEA criticized educational funding reductions: “The Trump administration’s cruel...cuts to education...are harming every New Jersey family.”
Rachel Peace voiced her discontent with Rep. Smith's stance: “Despite his public statements...Chris Smith is prepared to allow Medicaid...to be ripped away from New Jersey’s most vulnerable.”
The event was supported by various organizations including American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Teachers, Food & Water Watch, Health Professionals & Allied Employees among others.
