As lawmakers in Washington, D.C. worked into the weekend to pass the budget reconciliation bill, advocates with Fair Share America’s “Stop the Billionaire Giveaway” bus tour met with those who are afraid of what will happen to them if it does pass.

“We can stop this. It’s not a done deal,” said Kristen Crowell, executive director of Fair Share America, whose national bus tour made a stop Thursday in Warren.

What began in New Jersey is now made its way across Michigan before heading to other Midwestern states.

“We started in New Jersey,” said Kristin Sosanie, a spokesperson with the tour that aims to highlight the millions of men, women and children who will be impacted by proposed cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and SNAP. “We’ve made 10 stops so far. They’ve all been amazing, from small community gatherings of 60 to a crowd of more than 700 who gathered in Columbus, Ohio.”

At each stop local officials and community leaders are invited to share their take on the situation.

“We’ve also had a lot of people sharing their deeply personal experiences about trying to buy groceries or get aid for life-threatening illnesses,” Sosanie said.

Among the city officials invited to speak in Warren was Spencer Calhoun, who is not only a Mount Clemens City Commissioner but also someone who knows how Medicaid cuts will impact people.

“Medicaid was my lifeline growing up. It meant I could see a doctor, get medicine, and have food when my family couldn’t afford groceries,” Calhoun said. “Members of Congress keep saying they’re making tough choices and that the rest of us will just have to make sacrifices. But let’s be honest. While they’re slashing essential programs to fund tax breaks for the wealthy, it’s the most vulnerable who are making the real tough choices: whether to buy groceries or fill their prescriptions.”

Taylor Johnson of Warren, the parent of a child with Down syndrome, said her son George is enjoying a healthy, thriving American childhood because of Medicaid.

“He just finished kindergarten,” said Johnson, noting if it wasn’t for Medicaid she and her husband Kyle would never be able to afford the specialists, daily medication or speech therapists helping to support their son’s care.

“Without it, having a child with a disability would become completely unaffordable. When politicians like John James talk about ‘cutting waste’ what they’re really doing is cutting care for kids like mine. Medicaid isn’t about fraud. It’s about whether we value human life,” Taylor said. “If we’re not protecting vulnerable Americans, what are we even doing?””People are really scared,” said Crowell, who did not just hop on the bus as director of Fair Share America.

She’s an advocate who has struggled herself, trying to raise four children on a single mother’s salary.

“I had a dental bill of $886 and that one bill set off a cascading chain of other bills that got paid late. I lost my car. It took me a long time to get back on my feet. So, it’s very personal,” said Crowell, who noted that the whole idea for the bus tour grew out of a town hall meeting that was held in Warren.

“I don’t think people realize how far-reaching Medicaid really is,” said Sosanie.

Michael Radke concurred.

The Sterling Heights councilman who was among the guest speakers shared his own personal story about his family and the struggles that his father endured after his mother got sick. He was a business owner and middle class American who had to fight to get the benefits that she needed.

“She worked hard her entire life,” Radke said. “This bill harms regular people.”

That includes America’s oldest residents.

“Many of my clients have to choose between life-saving medications, utilities or even clothing. One woman answered the door wearing a plastic bag because her only shirt was dirty,” said Rubel. “I’ve held Michigan’s grandparents as they sobbed with gratitude for a warm meal. These are the people John James promised to protect when he visited my pantry. I’m calling on him to do the right thing, even when it’s hard.”

Keep your promise of hope,” added Rubel, who was seen sharing a teary-eyed conversation with Crowell after the event that made it clear that everyone knows someone who needs help at some point.

“We all do better, when we all do better,” said one of the many messages written and signed by people who attended one of the bus tour events.