'The Big Grift': Chuck Schumer Tears Into Proposed Cuts To Medicaid And SNAP In Republicans' Budget

Forbes Breaking News

During remarks on the Senate floor Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) spoke about proposed cuts to social services in Republicans' budget.

Transcript

00:01Now on reconciliation, and particularly on SNAP, the program that feeds hungry children.

00:08Today, the House Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Agriculture

00:12will begin marking up the main portions of Republicans' so-called big, beautiful bill.

00:18Reports suggest that Republicans may even name their legislation one beautiful bill.

00:24That's ridiculous.

00:25I suggest Republicans pick a different name, a more honest name.

00:30They should call their bill the Big Grift, because that's what their bill is.

00:36Greedy Republicans in favor of tycoons.

00:40The Big Grift.

00:42Billionaires win, American families lose.

00:46There is nothing, nothing beautiful about the biggest cuts in Medicaid to American history.

00:51There is nothing, quote, beautiful about cutting SNAP, the largest anti-program in America,

00:57by over $300 billion.

01:00There is nothing beautiful about forcing kids to go hungry just to feed corporate greed.

01:07But that's what Republicans want to do.

01:09They want to act SNAP benefits by $310 billion to pay for tax breaks for the ultra-rich.

01:15Cutting food from the mouth of hungry children.

01:21For tax breaks for the ultra-rich, that is what they call beautiful.

01:26I call it warped.

01:29They want to shift the burden to the states, knowing full well many states won't be able to make up the gap in funding.

01:35That means in states across America and in Puerto Rico, kids, seniors, veterans, and families will go hungry.

01:43USDA cuts have already decimated food banks.

01:47I was just in Albany yesterday, where the local food bank had 27 tractor trailers,

01:53one million pounds of food, one million pounds of good, nutritious food for children and others,

01:59veterans, elderly who need the food, all canceled because of Donald Trump's cuts.

02:05Much of that food was produced by local family farms, who lost a valuable market.

02:11And this is happening across the country, and now Republicans want to add to the devastation by cutting SNAP.

02:16That's even a further cut than they've already done, a deeper cut.

02:20Republicans call their SNAP cuts savings and reducing waste.

02:25But those are euphemisms.

02:26What it really means is increasing hunger, increasing poverty, increasing the wealth of the ultra-rich.

02:35It is morally indefensible, indefensible.

02:40I yield the floor.

Category

Transcript

Recommended