FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, March 4, 2025
CONTACT: Daniela Perez, [email protected]
Georgia, Virginia Care Workers and Medicaid Recipients Join U.S. Representatives As Joint Address Guests
Care workers Alicia Cleveland of Georgia and Jeanne Robinson of Virginia will join Congresswomen Nikema Williams and Jennifer McClellan, highlighting their work providing care through Medicaid and relying on Medicaid for their own coverage
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Tonight, National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) member Alicia Cleveland and SEIU member Jeanne Robinson, in partnership with NDWA, will join U.S. Representatives Nikema Williams (GA-05) and Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) for President Trump’s joint address to Congress, lifting up the experiences of home care providers and care recipients who rely on Medicaid.
Alicia and Jeanne are speaking out as both the U.S. Senate and House majorities advance legislation that would necessitate massive cuts to Medicaid to support costly tax breaks for billionaires.
An organization representing care and domestic workers nationwide, NDWA strongly opposes Medicaid cuts, which would not only deny older adults, disabled people, and children access to life-saving health care but also undermine the already strained and underpaid care workforce as the need for care services continues to grow.
See below for quotes from Alicia and Jeanne.
“By joining Congresswoman Williams for the joint congressional address, I am representing the hundreds of thousands of care workers across the country who care for others’ loved ones while struggling to meet our own families’ needs,” said NDWA member Alicia Cleveland. “So many of us care workers rely on Medicaid. Without Medicaid, I would not be able to afford my son’s medication or the specialists he needs, nor would I have been able to cover the surgeries my daughters needed to thrive. I hope my presence in the gallery Tuesday night will remind policymakers that they need to protect Medicaid in order to protect workers like me.”
“Joining Representative McClellan for the State of the Union is an opportunity to stand for the home care workers and family caregivers who rely on Medicaid to care for their loved ones and support their communities,” said Jeanne Robinson. “As a home care provider and a grandmother caring for my grandson with Down syndrome, I know firsthand how vital Medicaid is—not just for the people we care for, but for the workers who make that care possible. Without it, families like mine would be left without options, and care workers would continue to struggle to make ends meet despite doing work that is essential to our economy and well-being. I hope my presence at the Joint Address serves as a reminder that protecting and strengthening Medicaid is about valuing care—and the people who provide it.”
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National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) is the leading voice for dignity and fairness for millions of domestic workers in the United States. Founded in 2007, NDWA works for respect, recognition and inclusion in labor protections for domestic workers, the majority of whom are immigrants and women of color. NDWA is powered by over 70 affiliate organizations and local chapters and by a growing membership base of nannies, house cleaners and care workers in over 20 states. Learn more at
www.domesticworkers.org. NDWA is a non-partisan non-profit organization that does not endorse, support, or oppose any candidates for public office.
