'How Cruel Is That?': Nanette Barragán Tears Into GOP Over Healtcare, Food Assistance Cuts

Forbes Breaking News

During remarks on the House floor, Rep. Nanette Barragán (D-CA) tore into House Republicans and the Trump Administration for cuts outlined in the Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Transcript

00:00Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose the cruel cuts Republicans want to make to

00:09snap this food assistance program. This should be the largest cuts in our

00:15nation's history. No one in the United States should go hungry. No one in the

00:21United States should go hungry. Unfortunately, President Trump and

00:26Republicans don't agree. They want to make the largest cuts, the largest cuts

00:35in our nation's history to the food assistance program that we call SNAP.

00:40House Republicans just voted to do this. When did they do it? They did it in the

00:47middle of the night under the dark of cover so it wouldn't be covered so nobody

00:53would see. House Republicans voted to take away food assistance from hungry

00:59Americans. House Republicans plan would slash it would cut 300 billion dollars

01:08from SNAP. That means ripping away meals from children, seniors, veterans, and

01:14families just trying to get by. Why? All to pay for tax breaks for billionaires and

01:22big corporations. SNAP is not a handout. It's a lifeline and behind every SNAP

01:28benefit is a person, a mother, a veteran, a neighbor doing everything they can to

01:36survive. And we also know that food assistance helps keep people healthy and it

01:44helps them survive. What do Republicans say when constituents have expressed

01:50concerns about cuts to things like healthcare programs to keep them healthy like SNAP? This is

01:59what they say. Well, we are all gonna die. This is an actual quote. This is what

02:06Republicans are telling the American people. Well, you're gonna die anyways. How

02:12outrageous is that? How cruel is that? That may be true someday, but Mr. Speaker, it is

02:20no excuse to let people starve today and not because of Republicans' cruel policies. We should

02:28not turn our back on millions of Americans in their fight to survive poverty and live

02:34with dignity. Republicans are doing nothing to bring down cost. Instead, their

02:41policies and their failures to act is making life more expensive for hard-working

02:47Americans during a time when inflation and rising grocery prices make it harder

02:54for people to get by. So let me tell you about Tylan. Tylan is a single mother of four from Wilmington,

03:03California in my district. She fell on hard times. Tylan was homeless and lost custody of her children

03:10because she simply could not afford to feed them. SNAP changed everything. With help, she got back on her

03:17feet. Today, she has a stable home and has regained full custody of her children. Let me

03:25tell you also about Michael. Michael is a 66-year-old disabled veteran from San Pedro, California in my

03:33district. He served in the Army for seven years. Now he and his partner, Suzanne, rely on SNAP to afford

03:41groceries. Without it, they go hungry. For Tylan, for Michael, and 42 million Americans, food assistance

03:51programs like SNAP is so critical. It's not a luxury. The Republican budget bill to cut SNAP is a direct

04:03threat to the well-being of them and to millions of Americans. House Democrats stood strong and voted to

04:10oppose these cuts. And the fight is not over. We will not stand by silently while Americans are pushed

04:18into hunger. I urge the Senate to reject these cuts. And I urge my House Republican colleagues

04:25to grow a spine to fight so Americans don't go hungry. I yield back.

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