Working Families Say "Jobs, Not Cuts!"

Activists from CWA's headquarters join the rally in Upper Senate Park.

Below: AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka speaks to workers.

More than 1,500 activists flooded Capitol Hill Tuesday, rallying against deep cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

CWA joined AFSCME, AFGE and others in standing together to say, "Jobs, not cuts!" Unless Congress acts, a series of automatic budget cuts — a.k.a. sequestration — will come down on March 1. It would slash $85 billion from the federal budget in 2013, with more than $1 trillion in cuts coming over the next decade.

"The opponents of working people are always coming up with technical terms to scare good people into accepting bad ideas, ideas like sequestration," said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. "Let me tell you something. Sequestration is nothing but a word. Nothing but a long word with a simple purpose, and that's to hide a bad idea — that we can cut our way to a prosperous future."

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined workers in urging their congressional colleagues to protect vital government programs and services.

Read more about the rally in The Hill and The Washington Post.