VIDEO: Magaziner Speaks at RI State House in Opposition to Trump & Musk’s Power Grab for Billionaire Tax Breaks

PROVIDENCE, RI — Today, U.S. Representative Seth Magaziner (RI-02) addressed a crowd on the steps of the Rhode Island State House on the Trump administration’s efforts to make cuts to vital programs in order to cover tax breaks for billionaires.

The rally was in response to Trump and Republicans’ plans to cut Medicaid, eliminate the Department of Education, and gut numerous programs working people rely on in order to fund tax cuts for the rich. 

Magaziner and other speakers also addressed Elon Musk’s illegal actions to access Americans’ personal data, cut off funding to Rhode Island and other states, and fire federal employees at agencies like the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

Magaziner’s remarks at the rally are below:

When Republicans in Congress put forward a budget that would cut billions of dollars from Medicaid, shut down community health centers, close nursing homes, and eliminate the Department of Education, they are doing it to pay for more tax cuts for billionaires.

When, all around the world, they side with dictators and gangsters like Vladimir Putin and turn their backs on democracies, they are doing it to create the conditions for more tax cuts for billionaires.

When they undermine our democracy by pardoning January 6 rioters who attacked police officers and threaten to imprison journalists, they are doing it because they want power—for more tax cuts for billionaires.

That is what this is all about. It is a money grab from working people for the billionaires.

Now, all across the country—you probably saw this in the news yesterday—Republican members of Congress are canceling their town halls. They are locking their offices because they do not want to face their constituents.

But I am here today, as one of your members of Congress from Rhode Island, to say that I will fight with every tool at my disposal against what Donald Trump and Elon Musk are doing.

As your representative:

I will fight for our democracy.

I will fight for health care.

I will fight for veterans.

I will fight for education.

I will fight for freedom of the press.

I will fight for our democracy—because our lives depend on it.

But I have a question for all of you: Are you ready to fight too?

Because here’s the thing—democracy is not a spectator sport. It takes all of us. Never in the history of the world has a democratic movement succeeded from the top down. It takes everybody working together, waking up every day and asking: What am I going to do today to save our country?

There is no task too big or too small because all of us together have a role to play—to beat Elon Musk and Donald Trump in their effort to rob us of our democracy.

View or download Rep. Magaziner’s full remarks here.