Senator Andy Kim Attends Rahway Rally Against Spending Cuts
Sunday, July 20, 2025
New Jersey Senator Andy Kim visited Rahway on Sunday to speak at a rally against the recently passed spending bill in Washington. Several dozen people attended the event, which was organized by Make the Road New Jersey, an immigration advocacy group. The rally aimed to raise awareness about how federal cuts in the bill could affect working families, particularly those relying on Medicaid.
Senator Kim criticized President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill Act. The new law extends the president’s first-term tax cuts. It also slashes funding for Medicaid and other programs. The Democratic senator also called out Republican Congressman Tom Kean Jr.—who represents Rahway—for voting in favor of the bill.
Kim explained that Republicans used a special process called “reconciliation” to pass the bill in the Senate. This allowed them to pass it with a simple majority vote, instead of the usual two-thirds. All Democrats voted against the bill. Most Republicans say the law will help the economy, but some in their own party are worried it will add trillions of dollars to the national debt.
Senator Kim also shared a personal story. His father is living in an assisted care facility because of health problems. Kim said the medical bills are putting a huge strain on his family.
“And what is it all for? To give the wealthiest Americans—people who can buy their own space programs—a big tax cut,” Kim said. “This is not the America I want my kids to grow up in.”
Candice Carroll and her brother Charles at the rally in Rahway. (The Central Jerseyan)
Other people also shared their stories. Candice Carroll and her brother Charles spoke about their struggles with Medicaid. Candice said she had to leave her job to care for Charles full-time because of his health issues.
“We’ve had $25,000 in medical bills in just the the past four months, and this is a good year,” Candice said. She also said it’s hard to find a doctor who will accept Medicaid. “We just found a dentist,” she said with some excitement in her voice.
Rahway Mayor Raymond Giacobbe and City Council Member Jeffrey Brooks also came to the rally and spoke. They said the spending cuts are already hurting the local community.
“I know friends in the government who’ve lost jobs,” Brooks said.
He explained that some services had to be cut at the county level to balance the budget because of the loss of federal money. Rahway’s city budget was also affected. Brooks said the city council had to make a “tough vote” when passing the new budget last week.
“We’ve had $25,000 in medical bills in just the the past four months, and this is a good year.”
— Candice Carroll
Protesters against the federal spending bill holding up a banner during Sunday’s rally.
(The Central Jerseyan)
After the rally, people broke into small groups and went door-to-door to speak with their neighbors about how these cuts might affect them.
Nedia Morsy, the director of Make the Road New Jersey, said this effort is part of a bigger campaign called the Million Voters Project. Its goal is to earn what issues matter most to voters. Groups like Make the Road and Democratic leaders have voiced concern about low turnout among New Jersey Democrats in the 2024 election. They are now working to boost voter participation in support of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill.
In a final interview after the rally, Senator Kim also talked about the recent flooding in Central Jersey. In the past, the federal government would often help with recovery efforts. But Kim said that kind of help is no longer certain.
“Now, I can’t look a constituent in the eye and honestly say we’ll get the resources we need.”