Ranking Member Angie Craig Slams Republican Cuts to Food Assistance and Health Care

Thank you so much, Chairwoman Fox and Ranking Member McGovern. The more the American people learn about this big, ugly bill, and it's nearly 200 billion in cuts to food assistance, the less they like it. I honestly don't know how a single one of my colleagues could vote for this bill. 17 million Americans lose their health insurance or lose their health care. Millions and millions of people across our country are going to lose access to food assistance. You know, most Americans don't even know this yet in our country, but I promise you they will. A recent Fox News poll found that 59% of voters oppose this bill. The American people are not buying what the Republicans are selling, even on Fox News. The American people like House Democrats want to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse. This bill doesn't reduce waste, fraud, or abuse. It gives government sponsored tax breaks to the wealthiest among us. And you pay for it by taking food and health care away from seniors, children, veterans, and people with disabilities. And it isn't even paid for. It adds nearly $4 trillion to the national debt. So much for fiscal responsibility here. The American people including motans know the cost of living is too high. This bill does not lower the cost of living. It makes meeting the basic needs like groceries and accessing medical care more expensive. I promise you this bill will raise health care costs for everyone. The American people want efficient and effective governance. This bill doesn't do anything to improve good governance. It makes worse makes it worse by pushing billions in new expenses onto state and county governments, forcing our state and local governments into a position where they have to decide between taking food away from their friends and neighbors or slashing other local services or raising taxes. And I mean that in 10 states across this country, folks are going to have to look at raising county taxes in order to pay for the administration and perhaps even the benefit of cutting food assistance. In Minnesota alone, where the bur burden for SNAP cuts will fall to the counties. The Association of Minnesota Counties projects they'll have to raise property taxes by an average of more than 5% to pay for it and by even more in some counties. Many of you sitting here today do not even know the effect that this bill will have on your counties. Republicans have managed to do almost the impossible. Miraculously, you've created a bill that takes food and health care away from millions of Americans in a way that does not save taxpayer dollars, but instead adds trillions of dollars to the national debt. Motans and Americans in every corner of this country are asking, "How is any of this actually possible?" It's simple. You've picked tax breaks for large corporations and ultra wealthy people in our country over hardworking families. Republicans are selling the American people down the river. This bill sells out our farmers and the families they feed. Of course, we need all the elements of a farm bill. M Mr. Chairman talked about the elements in this bill. We should be doing this in a farm bill, a full five-year farm bill with 12 bipartisan titles. It sells out the hopes and dreams of millions of Americans struggling to keep food on the table. It sells out more than 300 rural hospitals that are at risk of closing due to Medicaid cuts. It also cuts hundreds of billions of dollars from SNAP, our most effective anti-hunger program, by taking $6 a day out of the pockets of vulnerable seniors, veterans, children, and people with disabilities. And putting that money back into the pockets of billionaires. taking food away from the people who need it forces seniors to choose between having a meal and paying for medicine. And let me just say this because we were in committee for over 20 hours and over and over I heard my Republican colleagues talking about that this activity would not cut access to veterans nutrition benefits. This is exactly what the Senate version does. And most of you, many of you don't even know what this version says. We had one hour to come into this room. Many veterans, as we know, suffer from behavioral or physical health issues connected to their service. One in three working age veterans with disabilities aren't sure where their next meal will come from. One in four working age veterans can't find work who can't find work are food insecure. Our veterans can't pay for meals with support the troops bumper stickers and they can't eat thoughts and prayers. And it doesn't stop there. This bill takes food away from former foster youth leaving the foster care system who may not have the same level of support from families that many of us benefited from when we were just starting to make our way in the world as 18 or 19 year olds. I just don't understand where these values are coming from. The American people are right not to trust this bill. The bill doesn't save us a scent. It adds to the debt. If passed, it will pass millions and millions along to the nation. This bill was a disgrace when it left this chamber. Most of you haven't read it to know that it's even a more of a disgrace now that it's back. And folks, this is one of the worst mistakes anyone who votes yes for will make in your political career. Thank you, and I yield back.