During a Senate Democrats "Ask Me Anything" event on Wednesday, Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) responded to voters' questions about the Republican budget.
00:06Well, good evening, everyone. You know, Senator Lujan just said a couple of things. He said that I was new to the Senate. He said they were caring people. He also described me as young. Now, the young part I cannot attest to.
00:19I am solidly middle aged, but I can I can attest to the fact that I care deeply about Marylanders and about the American people and and that we're going to work so hard to ensure that every family has what it needs.
00:36And the question is whether it's true that people will lose SNAP and Medicare and what will happen.
00:42And, you know, what it sadly it is true. And I think the biggest question we have to ask ourselves is why?
00:49You know, based on what we've seen so far, we're anticipating just in my state alone that when we think not Medicare, but think about Medicaid, we have about one point three million people who will lose their insurance, their health insurance.
01:03We also have about one hundred thirty thousand people who will lose supplemental nutrition benefits.
01:09And I think it's important to say it that way to make sure that we don't gloss over what this really means.
01:15When we talk about one hundred thirty thousand, those are not just numbers, those are lives.
01:21And when you say what will happen, what will happen is that our families will have to make really, really difficult choices.
01:29The families who will not be able to afford food.
01:32You know, there's a mother that I can think about who is in school.
01:36She's working to improve her life for herself and for her children.
01:41And she told our staff and told us that, you know what, she relies very heavily on those supplemental nutrition dollars to help feed herself and feed her children.
01:51And she's going to have to make a, you know, a different choice.
01:55So SNAP is important and SNAP is important.
01:59You know why? Because having something to eat is a fundamental need.
02:03We're not talking about things that are frivolous privileges.
02:07Where have we come as Americans when we no longer understand that it is it should be a basic human right of every single human being to have access to nutrition for themselves and for their families?
02:20These are basic needs.
02:22And it is so important to ensure that our seniors, many of whom depend on SNAP in order to be able to eat.
02:29Again, we have young families who are working hard to make ends meet, and many of them and their children are relying on these SNAP dollars.
02:39So if we talk about it, it is the most vulnerable among us are the people who we are now looking to take away these benefits.
02:47And again, asking the important question, why?
02:50Why? So that rich people can become richer.
02:53That's literally what this is about, so that the top 1% become richer and the bottom 10% become poorer.
03:00It is a gross redistribution of wealth.
03:04But just to have tax cuts for rich people, and that's the reason that we would deprive a senior of nutrition they need or a young family and children of the nutrition they need.
03:14It's horrible.
03:16It is unconscionable.
03:23And, you know, the question is advice on how to talk to Republicans who oppose Medicaid cuts, but support work reporting requirements, which will cut millions who work or are exempt.
03:38You know, I think the thing for us to remember as we talk to Republicans, Democrats, and people who didn't vote at all, is if we talk to each other on a basic level as humans, what we know is that, you know, all of us, again, every single part of our families deserve to have health care when they are sick.
04:02And when we think again about Medicaid, let's talk about who we're talking about, to talk about children who have disabilities.
04:12You know, I had the opportunity last week to visit a really beautiful school that does great work with children who have developmental delays.
04:20Many of their families are concerned and met with their parents who said, you know, this has been a lifesaver for our family to be able to have the support we need for our child who has developmental disabilities.
04:33And we don't know what we will do.
04:35When we think about the seniors, you know, but for the grace of God, none of us know whether or not we might end up in a nursing home.
04:41Those are the individuals that we're talking about who depend on Medicaid.
04:46And you know what, when we talk about work reporting requirements, I understand the concern that we want to make sure that these benefits go to the people who need them most.
04:56That's a conversation that we can have.
04:59But whether or not we should cut benefits to the most vulnerable among us to enrich rich people is something that I think Republicans, Democrats, independents, and people who don't vote at all can agree on.
05:10It's just morally wrong.
05:16If we pay for the programs, why can't we say where our money goes, you know, and fair enough, if we pay for the programs, we can absolutely say where our money goes.
05:30And I think I'm hearing pretty loud and clear that most people in our country believe that people who are disabled, people who are elderly, and children deserve to have health care.
05:47And so I think that we are hearing people say that they really do want to save these benefits.
05:52And you know what, it's not just people who are in a blue state, I'm also hearing that people who are in red areas feel the same way.
06:01And so no one is saying that we can't say where our money goes.
06:05But I think that we as a country ought to have a baseline of our values, say, that we certainly believe that the most vulnerable among us deserve to have nutrition and deserve to have health care.
06:18And I believe that this is, it's already being said across the country that people do support these benefits and do not agree with cutting those benefits to benefit tax cuts for billionaires.
06:31Hi, Senator, I hopefully, I have hopefully a fun question, are you doing anything to celebrate pride, I absolutely am, I'll be in Baltimore, there is a wonderful pride celebration that is happening in Baltimore, and I am looking forward to, to attending that celebration.
06:56Can you talk about what makes you angry about this bill?
07:14Oh, my goodness, let me count the ways.
07:17I am angry about the big fat lie.
07:19And the big fat lie that I am angry about says that the cuts that we are seeing, the cuts to Medicaid, the cuts to SNAP, the cuts that would harm firefighters who need to have certain protective care so that they are not getting cancer.
07:36But the all of these cuts, the big lie is that all of this is because of waste, fraud and abuse, and that we are somehow doing something to cause the, to help fix the deficit.
07:48And what we know, as a matter of fact, is that the proposal that we have seen actually explodes the deficit and makes it grow.
07:57And we also know that this is not about waste, fraud or abuse in terms of the, the cuts that we're seeing, we know that the fact of the matter is, is it's all being done to benefit billionaires, to make sure that they have the tax cuts that they would need.
08:12And I resent anyone saying that we should on the backs of elderly people and children who need these supplemental nutrition dollars, or for those who need a little help to make sure that their loved one can stay in a nursing facility or to have the benefits they need, that somehow we, we, that this is what's exploding the deficit.
08:36It's just not true.
08:37So how do we stop this?
08:39Really, only four votes?
08:41You know what, I encourage all of those who are watching right now, to talk to your friends, to talk to your neighbors, to talk to your family members, who have relationships, you know, I think it's important that we not just talk to Democrats.
08:55I think we ought to talk to our friends in the Republican Party and to talk to them, also, and to explain much of what we're facing here.
09:05Again, we talk about people losing their health care, talk about the people who are losing the nutrition they need, and I think that we will find that when we really talk to the people who are in our lives, many of them will agree with us that this is not the right approach to cut in this way to really help the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
09:29And I think it is possible to answer the question.
09:31And I think it is possible to answer the question.
09:34So I want to just thank everyone who has tuned in.
09:40I'm just so grateful for your engagement.
09:42You know, we really are all in this together.
09:45At the end of the day, I'm always reminded, you know, I'm the daughter of a receptionist and a car salesman.
09:51And I'm reminded every single day that no matter where you are, where you live or what your circumstances are, we all want the same things for our families.
09:59We want our children to have the very best that we can offer them to have safe and affordable places to live.
10:05We believe that in America, every child should have health care.
10:10We believe in America that when you have worked and done all of the things that are required and you need a little help, you're somewhere in assisted living, that you should be able to have that assistance.
10:21That we want our families who need a little help to eat.
10:25We want to make sure that that happens.
10:26And I believe that we all want the same things for our families.
10:30So just thank you so much for tuning in and for engaging.
