Pictured from left to right: Rep. Terri Sewell,Dr. Corey Jones Superintendent of Greene Co. Board of Education, Jean Rykaczweski, CEO of West AL Food Bank, Dr. Marcia Pugh CEO of Greene County Hospital, and Dennis Stripling Executive Director of West AL Regional Commission
On Thursday, March 20, 2025, Congresswoman. Terri Sewell held a community forum from 4:00 to 5:30 PM. at the Branch Heights Community Center Gymnasium in Eutaw. This session attended by 150 people was part of her “Congress in your Community” program.
The forum featured a panel discussion where Rep. Sewell served as the moderator, addressing the impact of budget resolutions and decisions made by the current administration under President Donald Trump.
During the discussion, Sewell informed the audience that President Trump and the Republican members of Congress are planning to cut as much as $4 trillion from the Federal budget to provide a tax cut to the wealthy and well connected. 93% of the benefits of this tax cut will go to the top 1% of the taxpayers. Sewell said, “Despite the Republican promises, we know that these tax savings rarely trickle down to us. We were not invited into the rooms to negotiate this deal, which is bad for our district and our nation.”
Sewell continued, “Among the budget cuts that Trump, Vance and Musk want to make involve the wholesale firing of a quarter or more of the Federal workforce; $240 billion from food stamps; $880 billion from Medicaid, which provides for the health care of children and the aged in nursing homes; Title I and other education funds to provide equity to the poor, disabled and underserved children.”
Sewell said she and Congressman Shomari Figures had to hold a press conference in Montgomery, the weekend of Blood Sunday, to push Musk to take the Greyhound Bus Station, now serving as the Freedom Riders Museum off the list of Federal properties to be sold. “Our history is not for sale” she said fearlessly.
Sewell also blasted Trump, Vance and Musk’s attempts to reduce the staff and offices of Social Security, which will lead to cuts in benefits. “Social Security is not an entitlement program. It is an earned benefit paid for by people paying into the system over a lifetime,” said the Congresswoman.
Rep. Sewell posed the question to the panel regarding how these budget cuts would affect their respective organizations.
Dr. Corey Jones, Superintendent of Greene County Schools, expressed his concerns about education funding being placed entirely in the hands of the state government. He voiced skepticism about whether Governor Kay Ivey and future administrations would ensure that Greene County receives its fair share of funding. ‘Our Title I funds have gone to add teachers, lower class size and respond to children with special needs, will we get a fair and comparable share of the funds, when they are controlled by the state, with no oversight and accountability,” said Superintendent Jones.
Dr. Marcia Pugh, representing the Greene County Health System, discussed the reality that currently Medicaid reimbursement rates are much lower that actual costs which is already a hardship. If these funds are cut, more it will make it difficult for our small rural hospital to survive. “Every one of the 37 patients in our Nursing Home today, Black and White, are covered by Medicaid. If Medicaid funding is reduced, how will we be able to take care of these elderly residents, where will they go, with other facilities having the same problem. We will not be funded to take care of them,” said Pugh.
Dennis Stripling, Executive Director of the West Alabama Regional Commission, provided an update on senior services. He noted that, for now, the three senior centers in Eutaw, Forkland, and Boligee continue to provide food for seniors. However, he highlighted the upcoming reauthorization of the Older Americans Act (OAA), which has been in place since 1965. Rep. Sewell assured attendees that she would advocate for the renewal of the OAA, ensuring continued support for senior nutrition programs.
Jean Rykaczweski of the West Alabama Food Bank reaffirmed her commitment to working with local farmers to provide fresh vegetables to the food bank. USDA Federal funds for these programs have already been eliminated. “We have some funds from other sources, which we plan to use to purchase fresh food items from local farmers. These foods will be distributed to various locations throughout West Alabama, helping to support families in need,” she said.
Rep. Sewell pledged to fight for funding and continue working to protect the interests of her constituents, against the cruel and misconceived plans of the Trump, Vance, and Musk crowd.
Debbie Duncan provided help in writing this article