NEW AD: Michigan Veterans Call Out Congressmen James and Barrett for Cutting Healthcare and Food Assistance on Veterans Day
This Veterans Day, Michigan Families for Fair Care launched a $385,000 ad buy to continue their efforts to show how Congressman Barrett's votes have impacted the people in his district. The ad, “Steve,” highlights Army combat veteran Steve Monti who talks about how Congressman Barrett's votes have impacted veterans in Michigan's 7th District. This ad is also a part of an ongoing campaign to hold Congressmen John James and Tom Barrett accountable for the impacts of their votes in Congress.
Watch The Full Ad Here.
To showcase the new ad, Michigan Families for Fair Care and Common Defense also held a press call with Steve and other veterans to hold Congressmen John James (MI-10) and Tom Barrett (MI-07) accountable for voting to cut Medicaid and SNAP—programs that over 1.2 million veterans nationwide rely on—while prioritizing tax breaks for billionaires.
"When it comes to Medicaid, one in ten veterans, or 1.6 million people rely on Medicaid cause they don’t qualify for VA care or can’t access it," said Joel Rutherford, a 20-year Air Force veteran and Warren resident. "I do volunteer work for veterans, I see veterans in Macomb County who are trying to live on $1000 a month or less. And yet you want to cut things for them?"
"I’m on SNAP, I’m on Medicaid, I’m a disabled veteran. This stuff affects me personally. Basically, taking health care from people, taking SNAP benefits from people during this time, people are really scared." said Sean McLaughlin of Common Defense. “It’s really not a whole lot of money, sometimes I’m eating on less than six to eight dollars a day, but it’s what we have.”
Veterans on the call shared how the Republican Tax Law's cuts to health care and food assistance will harm those who served their country, and demanded Congress reverse these cuts or risk further harm to the people they represent.
"Before I’m a veteran, I am a citizen. And part of being a veteran, and just serving in general, is to protect and ensure that the citizens will be taken care of.” said Army Combat Veteran Steve Monti. "[With these cuts] people will get late diagnosis, if diagnosed at all, with preventable illnesses, and this will be exacerbated by food insecurity.”
Transcript below:
STEVE MONTI: "I was a gunner in Iraq… “
“Our convoy was hit twice with IEDs. Every night we received mortar fire. That affects me still 20 years later. I rely on the VA to survive.”
“I feel betrayed when I see Tom Barrett cut veterans health care benefits. To give tax breaks to billionaires. It’s just a spit in our face that he’s gonna just abandon that many veterans.”
“If my benefits went away I wouldn’t be able to afford health care. When I served, we looked out for each other.”
“Tom Barrett needs to serve us.”
