During debate on the House floor, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) voiced his strong opposition to the Senate Republican budget resolution's adoption.
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02:56You haven't done anything to address the high cost of living.
03:00As Democrats, we recognize that America is too expensive.
03:06The cost of living in this great country is far too high.
03:11Housing costs are too high.
03:13Grocery costs are too high.
03:16Insurance costs are too high.
03:17Utility costs are too high.
03:19And childcare costs are too high.
03:22America is too expensive.
03:24We should be working to lower the high cost of living.
03:28Far too many people in this country can't get ahead and they can barely get by struggling
03:37to make ends meet.
03:39Living paycheck to paycheck.
03:42We should be acting decisively to address the high cost of living.
03:49As Trump promised, costs would go down on day one.
03:52Costs aren't going down.
03:53They're going up.
03:55Inflation is going up.
03:59Consumer confidence is coming down.
04:02And these reckless policies, including the Trump tariffs, are driving us toward a recession.
04:12And on top of it all, you are presenting a budget that's going to make things worse.
04:20So we stand here today in strong opposition to this reckless Republican budget.
04:27It's a cruel budget.
04:29It's a budget that will have catastrophic consequences on everyday Americans.
04:38It's an assault on the economy.
04:40It's an assault on Medicaid.
04:43An assault on healthcare.
04:44An assault on nutritional assistance to children and families.
04:48It's an assault on veterans, which is why we reject it.
05:02Because we're going to stand on the side of the American people.
05:08Now, there are so many different problems with this budget resolution.
05:15But let's begin with the fact that Republicans are setting in motion the largest Medicaid cut
05:22in American history.
05:26That's going to hurt people all across this country.
05:30In small town America, in urban America, in rural America, in the heartland of America,
05:37in Appalachia.
05:39All across this country, people will be hurt.
05:44Healthcare will be taken away from children, pregnant women, everyday Americans with disabilities,
05:52older Americans, people in nursing homes, people who are receiving long-term care.
05:59Nursing homes will close.
06:01That will impact everybody in a given community.
06:05Those will shut down in rural America, in small town America, all across America.
06:12The largest Medicaid cut in American history is completely and totally unacceptable.
06:19At the same period of time, targeting nutritional assistance for children, infants, women, families,
06:29veterans, older Americans, literally taking food out of the mouths of babies in the United States of America,
06:38the wealthiest country in the history of the world.
06:42This is why we say it's a cruel budget.
06:47It's a callous budget.
06:49It's a budget that will have catastrophic consequences.
06:54Veterans will be hurt, people who have served this country admirably, they stood up for us.
07:02We should always stand up for them, not target them, as will be the case in this reckless Republican budget.
07:11And so we're here to make it clear, hands-off Medicaid, hands-off the healthcare of the United States of America,
07:21hands-off nutritional assistance, hands-off veterans, hands-off everyday Americans struggling to make ends meet.
07:31Republicans do nothing to lower the high cost of living, in fact, you're making the affordability crisis in America worse, not better.
07:43Then you target earned benefits and things that are important to the American people, like Medicaid, to visit upon it such an extreme cut.
07:55And what are you doing it for?
07:59What is it in service of?
08:02All to pass massive tax breaks for your billionaire donors like Elon Musk.
08:11The president himself.
08:16How extraordinary is that?
08:21As Democrats, we support tax cuts for everyday Americans, tax cuts for small businesses, tax cuts for family farmers, tax cuts for those who need relief.
08:36Not tax cuts for the wealthy, the well-off, and the well-connected.
08:42And so we stand in strong opposition to this GOP tax scam.
08:49The reason why, Mr. Speaker, I've said, let's debate this on the House floor, directly, through a colloquy, transparently, to make it clear to the American people where we stand and where Republicans stand.
09:06At such a fragile moment, with so many people in this country struggling to make ends meet.
09:15And so as House Democrats, we're going to continue to stand on the side of the American people.
09:21We're going to stand on the side of our children, of our families, of our veterans, of older Americans, of everyone aspiring to achieve the American dream.
09:35Stand up in defense of Medicaid, stand up in defense of veterans benefits, stand up in defense of nutritional assistance, stand up in defense of economic opportunity and a fair tax code that is designed to build an economy that actually works for everyday Americans as opposed to an economy of the billionaires, by the billionaires, and for the billionaires.
10:01That is why we strongly oppose this reckless Republican budget resolution.
10:07And we will not rest until we bury it in the ground, never to rise again.
10:15I yield back.
10:18A gentleman from Texas.
10:21Thomas shoot at whatbatom.
10:22I yield back.
10:23It's only a twoiquer.
10:24Let's get one more note, included.
10:25Kollegen from Prince Times Square in the House.
