Advocates, Veterans in Virginia Beach Hold Rally Calling on Rep. Kiggans to Oppose Harmful Spending Cuts
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 17, 2023
Virginia Beach, VA – Advocates in Virginia Beach held a rally Friday morning, calling on Congresswoman Jenn Kiggans to reject harmful spending cuts in the federal budget. They pointed to recent battles in Congress over extreme funding bills that nearly led to a government shutdown earlier this week, following a similar battle last month.
Kiggans represents Virginia’s 2nd Congressional district, which is home to many of the Commonwealth’s 127,000 active duty service members, with nearly 15% of residents being military veterans (more than twice the national average).
“This week, we were once again on the verge of a government shutdown because Republicans in Congress, like Rep. Jen Kiggans, continue to support unpopular, harmful spending cuts that could strip funding from everything from Meals on Wheels, benefits for mothers and children to veterans' care, and support for small businesses,” said Joseph White with Affordable Virginia. “Today, we are coming together to raise our voices and make sure we are crystal clear: hardworking Virginians cannot afford these harmful cuts, and we will continue to make our voices heard.”
White noted that Rep. Kiggans voted for a bill earlier this year that included 30% cuts across key sections of the federal budget and highlighted their potential impacts on the 2nd Congressional district:
Cuts to essential food assistance programs could mean nearly 22,000 SNAP recipients and up to 11,600 WIC recipients, including over 9,000 children and infants in the district, would lose access to food assistance.
Cuts to the Social Security Administration would put 138,480 Social Security recipients and 9,799 SSI recipients in the district at risk of facing delays and challenges in receiving their benefits.
Cuts to community health initiatives, meaning 14 community healthcare centers could be at risk of closing in the district.
“Congresswoman Kiggans ran on a promise to stand with working families,” White said. “And today, we’re asking her to keep that promise and reject cuts to essential programs and services that working families rely on.”
Affordable Virginia was joined by fellow advocates, including Eddie Saey with Freedom Virginia, who spoke to the community impact of these cuts. “Every day, I hear from families who are struggling to pay their bills and meet their most basic financial needs,” Saey said. “We need leaders like Jen Kiggans to rise to this critical moment and stand with the hardworking people of this district.”
Maurice Hawkins, a veteran and community activist, highlighted the impacts these cuts could have on his fellow veterans. “To put it bluntly, veterans are facing a healthcare crisis,” said Hawkins. “With growing backlogs, long wait times, and a lack of specialists, many of us end up facing worsening symptoms and progressing conditions that could have been mitigated earlier were it not for insufficient funding.” Hawkins added, “Veterans across Hampton Roads need Representative Kiggans to stand firmly against any further cuts to veterans' benefits and other programs that we need.”
Heidi Dragneff, a veteran, community activist, and single mother of three, shared her frustration, saying, “Families like mine are fed up with the chaos in Washington, and we are tired of being used as a bargaining chip for more tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy. We want leaders like Jen Kiggans to fight for us, not the billionaires.” Dragneff added, “These cuts are bad for Americans, they’re bad for working families, and they’re bad for veterans. We are calling on Jen Kiggans to stand with us and reject these harmful cuts before it’s too late.”
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