U.S. Rep. John Mannion (D-NY-22) joined nearly 500 people in the Village of Hamilton on Saturday, March 1, who gathered to protest President Trump’s cutbacks and the Republicans’ proposed budget that cuts Medicaid, school lunches for children, and other essential services for Madison County residents.

The ‘Rally for Resistance” at the Hamilton Village Green was organized by the Madison County Democratic Committee. Several protesters traveled from as far away as Schenectady and Ithaca to attend. 

During the rally, people vowed to continue fighting what they called Trump’s unconstitutional overreach in eliminating the jobs of federal workers and slashing or eliminating programs authorized by Congress.

Participants expressed concerns about the negative impact on the county’s veterans, who are at risk of losing access to key support systems and crisis hotlines because of the cuts announced by Trump and Elon Musk.

Mannion, whose congressional district includes Madison County, riveted the crowd with an impassioned speech about protecting county residents and the Constitution.

(See more photos from the rally.)

“We’re not going to stop! We’re not just in a constitutional crisis but we’re also in a misinformation and disinformation crisis,” the freshman congressman said. “We are on the right side of history. Our kids are depending on us, and our grandkids are depending on us to protect our democracy.”

He urged the big crowd on the Village Green to support each other, to support Democrats working to counter the Trump administration, and to call local and state elected officials of both parties to make sure they are aware of their concerns

Protesters, waving signs in the snow, also spoke about the negative impact on the county’s farmers because of Trump’s closure of the U.S. Agency of International Development. Local farmers had worked with the agency and planned their food production based on previous agreements, which were thrown out by Trump’s actions.

Participants also expressed widespread condemnation of Trump’s handling of Ukraine and his Oval Office meeting with the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky.