WASHINGTON—The nation’s largest unions, the National Education Association, the Service Employees, the Teachers/AFT and AFSCME, launched a $2 million media campaign, with ads and member mobilization, in 17 key congressional districts to support, defend and promote public service work—and to defeat Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful” tax cut for corporations and the rich.
The drive by the unions, who have 8.3 million members combined, comes as the Republican-run House heads for a showdown on President Donald Trump’s tax cut and spending cut bill, also known as reconciliation.
Besides the big unions, North America’s Building Trades Unions also now officially oppose Trump’s measure. On May 19, NABTU President Sean McGarvey said it would cost tens of thousands of construction jobs, many planned for the construction of “green energy” projects such as offshore wind farms, solar arrays, and retrofitting homes and schools.
“As currently written, the House Republicans’ reconciliation bill cannot be supported by the men and women of North America’s Building Trades Unions. It eliminates hundreds of thousands of energy jobs for our members and includes other deeply troubling provisions,” McGarvey explained.
“One of our top priorities has been protecting meaningful job opportunities, but that priority is being completely undermined. Job cuts for blue-collar Americans should not foot the bill for billionaire tax cuts. We’re counting on our allies in Congress to fix this bill before it heads to the House floor—and we’ll be mobilizing to ensure our voices are heard,” he promised. He did not give details.
The other unions’ pro-public service campaign also comes as a May 23 deadline approaches for comments on one of Trump’s other anti-worker moves, writing his so-called “Schedule F” rules for civil servants, turning the top 50,000 of them into a modern spoils system.
Democracy Forward and Protect Democracy have details on how to protest that measure by writing and emailing to the comments section of the Federal Register.
“This proposed rule would discourage career civil servants from providing their uncensored opinions and from fully applying their expertise for the benefit of the American people. This would erode public trust in neutral governance,” the two groups said.
“This rule is not about accountability or performance management—it’s about control. If finalized, it would mark one of the most regressive shifts in federal workforce policy ever. It would harm the civil service’s ability to deliver to the American people.
Trump headed for Capitol Hill on the morning of May 20 to personally lobby the entire House Republican Caucus to back the measure. The GOP controls the House by a narrow 220-215 margin, and only three defections would kill the measure. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., wants to pass it by Memorial Day.
There are two prominent reluctant groups of Republicans. One is the so-called House Freedom Caucus. It’s several dozen members think that despite its $4.5 trillion 10-year tax cut for the rich, corporations, and the corporate class, and its $715 billion 10-year Medicaid cut, plus added work rules for recipients, the bill doesn’t go far enough. Those lawmakers want more cuts and sooner.
The other reluctant group is 8-10 moderates representing voters in most of the 17 swing seats, whom the unions’ ad campaign and mobilization target. The lawmakers are dubious about cuts to public programs, especially Medicaid and services, which the unions’ ad campaign will focus on.
The unions will feature front-line workers telling their personal stories about how workers in public service help their lives, from ensuring Social Security checks arrive to fighting fires, to providing nursing care, to containing and catching corporate malefactors and exploiters.
“These budget cuts don’t just threaten Medicaid or food assistance; they put all of us at risk,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. “From overcrowded hospitals to underfunded schools to short-staffed prisons, our communities will pay the price–all so billionaires can get richer. We’re fighting back to protect public services and the essential work we do.”
“Our unions represent the people who make a difference in the lives of others –and the public services they provide are in grave danger because of the reckless and chaotic cuts of Elon Musk and the Trump administration,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten, a New York City civics teacher.
“Their goal is the gutting of the schools and hospitals that help working Americans have a shot at a better life. And for what? To pay for tax cuts for billionaires. These ads send a message to Congress about the human toll of the administration’s attacks and make the convincing case that it’s time to put families, not ultra-wealthy donors, first.”
Public-school teachers, who teach 90% of the nation’s K-12 students, “support every student, ensuring each student feels safe, seen, and is prepared for the future,” says Becky Pringle, president of the NEA, the nation’s largest union.
“Meanwhile, Donald Trump, Musk, and their MAGA allies are working to cut Head Start for over 800,000 kids, closing local hospitals so rural families will have to travel long distances to get care, and ballooning class sizes in public schools across America–all so they can enrich themselves.”
“We refuse to be silent…Educators will continue organizing, mobilizing, and growing the movement to put families first.”
Service Employees President April Verrett concentrated on the threatened Medicaid cuts. She called Medicaid “a lifeline for working people,” as it pays for a large share of U.S. health care overall and for most of the care in nursing homes and among the elderly and disabled.
“Congress is trying to rip that lifeline away to fund billions in tax breaks to the ultra-rich. Slashing Medicaid means seniors losing home care and kids missing out on the care they need. Let’s call this what it is: Stealing from everyday people and giving handouts to billionaires.”
The union is “calling a Code Blue on Medicaid, because lives are on the line.”
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