Kristen McDonald Rivet Warns Cutting ‘Lifelines’ Of SNAP, Medicaid Will Only ‘Lead To More Suffering’

During House floor remarks on Tuesday, Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-MI) slammed proposed cuts to Medicaid and SNAP.

Transcript

00:00Objection. The gentleman is recognized for one minute.

00:07Mr. Speaker, Medicaid and SNAP are lifelines for hundreds of thousands of people in mid-Michigan.

00:14148,000 people in my district rely on SNAP to put food on the table.

00:19Over 224,000 people in my district get health care through Medicaid,

00:24including over 87,000 children, 19,000 seniors.

00:28Every one of these individuals is now at risk of losing their lifeline because of these cuts.

00:34Rhonda from Genesee County has a 28-year-old son with Angelman syndrome

00:38whose intensive care is heavily funded by Medicaid.

00:42Rhonda had to quit her job to care for him and receives money through a Medicaid-funded program for caregivers.

00:47There are thousands of stories just like Rhonda in my district and millions more across this country.

00:53This budget will be devastating for the very people we swore to serve.

00:59That's why I'm offering an amendment to address how these cuts will hurt maternal health outcomes in this country.

01:04Slashing SNAP, limiting access to prenatal care, and kicking expecting mothers off their insurance

01:09will only worsen the mental health crisis in this country and lead to more suffering.

01:15Working families, children, mothers, and seniors deserve a budget that works for them, not the ultra-wealthy.

01:22I yield back.

01:24The gentleman.