Wilmington residents rally at church to protest cuts to Medicaid

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Around 100 Wilmington residents filled the seats of Silverside Church on Saturday morning, rallying against the federal funding cuts to programs benefiting older adults.

The rally was a part of the 50-state “Families First” day of protest and was organized by Indivisible, a grassroots group that has coordinated past demonstrations against President Donald Trump and his administration.

Before the rally began, the inside of the church buzzed, with a majority of older residents slowly filling the space. The far walls of the room were lined with tables where attendees could speak with organizers from Moms Demand Action and Indivisible, as well as create signs for the honk and wave event later in the morning.

At 9 a.m., local performer Tom Richards played protest songs by Pete Seeger, before a panel of speakers took the front podium. Nancy Weller, an Indivisible organizer, was the first and last person to speak. Weller and the others touched on the unique challenges that older adults face with the cuts in funding to programs such as Medicaid.

“Our aging residents, many of whom moved here to retire, deserve the opportunity to grow older at home, living their best lives possible,” said Sue Getman, another speaker and Indivisible member.

Those aging residents that Getman refers to make up a large portion of Delaware’s population. In 2020, Delaware had the fifth-largest percentage of residents over the age of 65 out of the 50 states, with 20% of the population aged 65 or older, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

The rally took place just 22 days after Trump signed the “big beautiful bill” into law, potentially cutting Medicaid for 41,000 Delaware residents, including 63% of nursing home residents who rely on it to cover medical expenses.

“We need Medicaid in Delaware. None of us know exactly what these Medicaid cuts will look like, but it will affect every one of us,” said Amy Redman, from Indivisible.

Dana LaMarche, an organizer with Moms Demand Action, shared why showing up and taking action matters to her.

“Indivisible has a great motto that I like: ‘Pick your name, pick your speed, do something.’  So we feel getting involved in any way we can is the best thing to do,” LaMarche said. “With Moms Demand Action, no matter where, they are very supportive of community action. So we get involved in everything we see in this community. We show up.”

Silverside Church pastor Will Donovan said hosting the rally at the church was just another way to serve his community.

“We’re always happy to do things that are good for our community,” he said. “We want this church to be a place where people can gather and feel that they can speak about things that are important to them.”

The rally concluded with a “honk and wave” demonstration outside the church that was cut short by rain.

LaMarche stood with the attendees, holding signs for passing cars. Her sign read “We want our country back.” Other signs included messages such as “Fund healthcare not billionaires,” and “SOS U.S. is in distress.”