Minnesota seniors rally against possible cuts to Medicare, Social Security

Alex Derosier, Pioneer Press on Apr 30, 2025

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Hundreds of seniors concerned about potential Medicare and Social Security cuts under President Donald Trump and a Republican-controlled Congress gathered outside the Minnesota Capitol Wednesday to protest and hear from Democratic-Farmer-Labor elected officials.

Minnesota DFL Senior Caucus members, including retirees and veterans, chanted slogans ranging from “No one is going to save us, we must keep protesting” to “Thoughts and prayers will not empty bedpans” as they rallied on the 101st day of the Trump presidency.

“I am out here for the people that I love who are dependent on Social Security as their only source of income in their retirement,” said Nettie Monroe, 68, of Shoreview, a retired special education teacher who collects both a pension and Social Security but has family members who only have government help in retirement.

Since taking office in January, the Trump administration has made major cuts in the federal workforce and spending without congressional action. The administration has proposed cutting tens of thousands of jobs at the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Health and Human Services.

It’s also possible the Republican-controlled Congress could approve legislation to cut hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicaid — the federal medical assistance program for people with lower incomes.

Speakers at the rally included Attorney General Keith Ellison, Secretary of State Steve Simon and DFL state lawmakers. And many at the rally were self-described Democratic voters who said they have participated in protests in the past.

Though retired air traffic controller Steve Long and Cecilia Riedman, who retired from a career in the soft drinks industry, said they only recently became involved in protesting against the Trump administration after moving to the Twin Cities from northern Minnesota.

Both described themselves as moderate, independent voters concerned about what they described as abuses of power under Trump, and said they decided to participate in DFL Senior Caucus action at the urging of their more partisan-leaning friends.

“I’m so tired of hearing them called entitlements. We paid into it pretty much all of our working careers,” said Long.

“It’s in general just the disrespect for the Constitution,” Riedman said, adding that beyond cuts to benefits, she was also concerned about potential damage to higher education and research.

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