Labor, community organize against healthcare cuts

‘Seven Days in June,’ is a week of action demanding elected officials act to secure affordable healthcare access in light of federal funding cuts to health care 

SEATTLE, WA (May 27, 2026) — In July of 2024, President Trump signed into law congressional Republicans’ H.R. 1, a sweeping piece of legislation that drastically cut healthcare funding nationwide while handing massive tax breaks to corporations and the ultrawealthy. Combined with a series of cuts to research institutions and public health agencies, including mass layoffs of this critical workforce, federal government action has imperiled healthcare access and the longterm health security of millions of working people in the U.S. While some of these cuts are already in effect, many more are cynically timed to occur after the upcoming midterms, concealing the scale of the crisis from voters. Once fully enacted, H.R. 1 is estimated to rip $1.2 trillion in funding away from local communities; Washington state stands to lose an estimated $37 billion in funding over the next decade, per KFF, a nonpartisan health policy research institution.

Labor and community are fighting back against these attacks on basic rights to care and wellbeing, with a week of action dubbed ‘Seven Days in June,’ a nationwide effort demanding elected officials act to secure affordable healthcare access for working people.

The week of action is timed to coincide with the 45^th anniversary of the first AIDS diagnosis in the US, connecting this current fight for healthcare access with the powerful advocacy from AIDS activists in the 1980s and 1990s that secured public health funding for research, prevention, and treatment efforts. Drawing on lessons learned from successful efforts to force the U.S. government to act on the AIDS crisis, Seven Days in June organizers are calling out both a lack of affordable healthcare access for individuals as well as underlining the devastating consequences of cutting funds that support research and prevention, community healthcare systems, and public health.

From the organizers: “Strained public health workforces and disease surveillance systems are already near a breaking point. Reductions in biomedical research funding slows innovation and threatens future advances in prevention and treatment. Community hospitals and safety-net providers face mounting financial pressure. Chaotic and inconsistent health investment carries real consequences. Short-term politics should not undermine long-term health security.”

The campaign is supported by the AFL-CIO, AFSCME, AFT, Pride at Work, SEIU, and UNITE HERE. Actions are planned across the U.S., including rallies, candlelight vigils, town halls, and more. In SeaTac, UNITE HERE Local 8 is hosting an action on June 2, from 6:00-7:30 p.m., urging the Airport Commission to adopt a health care policy for service workers. A community-led candlelight vigil is also planned in Seattle for June 5, coinciding with similar events across the U.S.

More information about the week of action and a full list of events can be found at SevenDaysInJune.org.