MONTGOMERY, Ala. — In a dramatic demonstration Monday, activists delivered symbolic caskets to the Montgomery office of U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, denouncing what they called “deadly” federal budget cuts backed by Tuberville and fellow supporters of former President Donald Trump.
Organizers from faith groups, grassroots activists, and impacted families said the protest, part of a coordinated action across a dozen Southern states, was meant to highlight the life-and-death stakes of deep reductions to Medicaid, SNAP, and rural healthcare recently passed by Congressional Republicans. Protesters solemnly carried caskets to Tuberville’s office, saying they represented Alabamians who could lose care, or their lives, if the cuts take hold.
The coalition, rooted in the Poor People’s Campaign, accused Tuberville of prioritizing an extremist political agenda over the basic needs of Alabama’s poor and working-class residents. They called the caskets a “moral alarm bell” to a state already struggling with high rates of poverty and inadequate health care.
Monday’s rally comes amid what organizers describe as a growing — though largely unreported — backlash across Southern states to the MAGA-aligned laws and budget priorities being advanced by Republicans. Several protestors referenced mounting frustration in small towns and urban neighborhoods alike, saying many Alabamians, regardless of party, are disillusioned by cuts that threaten hospitals, meals for children, and basic social services.
Monday’s event marked the start of a planned series of protests through the fall, organizers said, vowing to continue pressing Tuberville and other conservative lawmakers to reverse course.