09-03-2025
Ron Estes, ‘Americans For Prosperity' rally met with dozens of protesters
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A rally advocating for President Trump's Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to be made permanent was held at Wichita's Union Station Saturday afternoon. The 'Defend Prosperity' rally, hosted by conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity (AFP) and attended by State Representative Ron Estes, was met with shouts from protesters.
The event discussed topics outside of tax policies, and protesters used it as a lightning rod to express their opposition to state leaders about a variety of topics.
Organizers — alongside Estes — argued to their supporters that if the 2017 tax regulations were left to expire, Kansas would see an increase in their rates.
'We want to make sure we don't lose those advantages we've gotten over the last few years in terms of higher wages for workers and higher tax revenue for the federal government,' Estes said in an interview prior to the event.
The sounds of applause inside Union State were the only thing cutting through the constant chants from Defend Democracy protesters just outside.
'Not sure there's one [issue] we focus on. This group actually started with 'Defend Rowe' in 2022 and that page kind of grew from there in the past few years,' organizer Shannon Boone said. 'There's just so many things that feel like they're under attack right now or are uncertain.'
The protest started at Nafzger Park. Defend Democracy demonstrators linked with a women's rights march before heading to Union Station. The signs held by demonstrators included issues from the war in Ukraine to women's reproductive rights.
'The DEI, USAID, you know, the firing of so many people for no reason. The park rangers,' protester Victoria Fox said.
They argued that the mass layoffs by President Trump and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are only hurting Kansans. They also said the President Trump's 2017 tax cuts largely went to the already wealthy.
Back at the rally, representatives with AFP say DOGE layoffs are worth the cost.
'It's never fun when anybody ever loses employment,' APF Kansas Director Elizabeth Patton said. 'That's awful. But it would compound the issue even further if we don't make sure that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is made permanent.'
Speakers at the event rarely addressed the omnipresent protesters. One radio host gesturing to the crowd through the windows and suggested they needed mental healthcare. He later clarified he meant those shouting profanity.
KSN attempted to speak to Representative Estes, but he left the rally without addressing the media present.
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