Protesters call out Sears’ silence on Medicaid cuts
Photos by Julianne Tripp Hillian/ Richmond Free Press | 6/19/2025, 6 p.m.
Tony Hedgepeth, a home care worker, speaks from a hospital gurney during a protest outside the Hippodrome. The gurney symbolized how proposed Medicaid cuts could threaten access to care for thousands of Virginia families.
Dozens of union workers, healthcare professionals and local residents rallied outside the Hippodrome Theater on Tuesday, June 17, where Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears held her election night party for the Virginia governor’s race.
The demonstration, organized by Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and community allies, spotlighted concerns that proposed Medicaid cuts could strip care from more than 300,000 Virginians and strain the state’s budget.
Tina Buskey, a public school worker joins demonstrators that protested Sears’ silence on proposed Medicaid cuts. Buskey, who has dealt with severe illnesses, said, “Without Medicaid, I would be dead.”
Tram Nguyen, co-executive director of New Virginia Majority, speaks during the protest.
