WSNA members join National Day of Action protesting cuts in education, Medicaid

March 5 — WSNA members joined educators, families, and allies at rallies at the Lynnwood Convention Center and Olympia Tuesday to protest cuts to public education and Medicaid.

The actions were part of a National Day of Action led by WSNA’s national union AFT with 1.8 million members.

AFT affiliates held 2,000 events nationwide March 4 as part of the “Protect Our Kids” rallies.

WSNA President Justin Gill spoke at the rally in Lynnwood, telling people nurses are standing with their siblings at AFT affiliates  to fight back on cuts to education and Medicaid..

“For all of us, our first duty is to take care of our patients, but we can’t do that if our system is not there for our patients,” he said. “These cuts are not just going to damage lives. They are going to break down communities, and they are going to affect access to care for all of us…”

Gill said he received his nursing education from a community college and had Medicaid while he was a nursing student.

“In order for our people to succeed and become part of the healthcare workforce, we need a system that supports them as they become the nurses and healthcare professionals of the future,” he said.

Participants nationwide called on lawmakers to take a stand against cuts to the Department of Education and Medicaid outlined in the House’s budget resolution. The House resolution called for cuts to student loans, Pell grants, Medicaid, and life-saving research funding.

AFT President Randi Weingarten said cuts to the Department of Education will slash opportunities for low-income children, kids with disabilities and first-generation college student, and force communities to raise property taxes to keep critical support for vulnerable populations.

The proposed $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid, the government insurance for people near the poverty line would end healthcare access for 1.8 million on Washington’s Apple Health and about 73 million Americans nationwide.

In a statement, AFT Washington underlined the life-changing power of education to build skills to not merely survive but to thrive:

“Our system of public education, in Washington and in America, should be a powerful tool that builds our communities, our workforce, and our future, all in one.”

AFT said Medicaid supports people from birth to retirement and beyond and is essential to keeping hospitals open.

Find out how you can help protect Medicaid and education using the AFT toolkits.