ADRIAN — Members and supporters of Lenawee Indivisible gathered on the lawn of the historic Lenawee County Courthouse on Aug. 23 to protest cuts made to Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP and other services by the federal government this summer in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Protestors expressed mounting frustrations with Congressman Tim Walberg (R-Tipton), alleging he’s ignored their requests for an “open” townhall meeting to discuss funding cuts. They gathered signatures to be sent to the congressman’s office, marking what organizers called their ninth official request for a meeting.
The “die-in” protestors created tombstones inscribed with epitaphs outlining anticipated harms from federal cuts.
Chuck Loftis, who served in the U.S. Army from 1976 until his retirement in 2006, is concerned about his peers, should widespread cuts to the Veterans Administration take place. He leads a peer support group for veterans in the care of the Ann Arbor VA Hospital.
Following the hourlong protest, some participants marched to the Republican Party Office in Adrian.
Walberg voted in favor of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. On Aug. 25, his office wrote via email to The Daily Telegram that Walberg has held “numerous gatherings in communities across the district and continues to engage with his constituents through various methods.”
Lenawee Indivisible countered those gatherings are often invite-only and answer only pre-vetted questions screened by staffers.
Constituents “who would like to express their views or are in need of assistance with a federal agency” are asked to contact their representative at walberg.house.gov.
— Contact reporter Corey Murray at cmurray@lenconnect.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @cmurrayhdn.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Lenawee Indivisible calls for ‘open’ townhall with Walberg on federal funding cuts
Reporting by Corey J. Murray, The Daily Telegram / The Daily Telegram
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