April 1, 2025

CHICAGO – This morning, Fair Share America Executive Director Kristen Crowell joined WCPT Heartland Signal’s popular “Chew’s Views” with Richard Chew to discuss her recent op-ed, her work leading Fair Share America and the fight for tax fairness, and how she is seeing people come together like never before to oppose actions in Washington to take away public services people rely on, like Medicaid and SNAP, in order to give tax handouts to billionaires and corporations. 

KRISTEN CROWELL: “There's been 40 years of disinvestment under the banner of so-called “trickle down economics,” where, if we give our tax dollars away to rich people, the “job creators,” it'll somehow trickle down to the rest of us. And we know that's not true. This has been a myth and a lie…that was told to us and sold to us, and it's ridiculous. We know in our own lives that this has not happened. 

“We have an enormous wealth gap in this country that should not exist. And make no mistake, what is being proposed in Washington, DC, in the GOP tax and budget plan is more of our tax dollars given to billionaires to further enrich them. These are the folks who have hijacked our government right now – the Elon Musk, the Trump friends – it's a very small circle of billionaires that will benefit. 

“At the same time, we're seeing millions and millions of people all across the country that would feel deep impacts. And I think the American public has just said, ‘We get it. This is enormously unfair. It's rigged. We're not going to take it.’ 

“We are fighting back in a way that, candidly, I've been doing organizing for 25 years and I've never seen anything like this. The American public really understands what a rip off this is, and they are not going to be silent. They are protesting. They are calling and they are writing their members of Congress. That’s the human data. And then we know from polling and survey research, over 80% of Americans agree with us. 

“Any member of Congress that is looking at this, it's like, what are you thinking? These are your voters, your constituents, and you're going to go to vote to take away their health care? 

“It's a very, very hopeful time to see the American public standing together.”

Listen to the full interview at https://heartlandsignal.com/programs/chews-views/.

To speak with Kristen Crowell please contact Kristin Sosanie (kristin@fairshareusa.org) or Ashley Woolheater (ashley@fairshareusa.org).

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Fair Share America is coordinating the widespread grassroots work in the states and helping to elevate voices and support coalitions sounding the alarm about the devastating impact for families and state economics of deep budget cuts used to fund tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations. Follow us at @FairShare_USA.