- yesterday
The Congressional Black Caucus holds a press briefing to warn against passing the Big Beautiful Bill.
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00:00Greetings, everyone. I'm Congresswoman Yvette DeClark, Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, and proud representative of New York's 9th Congressional District, located in Central and Southwest Brooklyn.
00:26I want to say thank you to First Vice Chair Carter, Congresswoman Hayes, Congresswoman Moore, and Congresswoman Kelly, as well as all of the members of the Congressional Black Caucus here present for joining me at this critical and pivotal moment for our nation.
00:44We all know why we're here today. We all know that it is to stand in opposition to Donald Trump's one big ugly bill.
00:58As it turns out, we're not the only ones who have problems with it. Only moments ago, Republicans failed to pass the vote they needed to get the big ugly bill to the House floor.
01:11They failed because House Republicans are ceaselessly paralyzed by their internal chaos and addiction to dysfunction.
01:22It's an embarrassment, but I digress.
01:25So let's discuss the facts.
01:27If this bill passes through our chamber, then we will see Medicaid ripped from more than 15 million Americans.
01:37We will see food ripped out of the hands of children through nearly $200 billion in SNAP benefit cuts, which will impact as many as 6 million black children and teens across this nation.
01:54We will see the deficit balloon by $3.3 trillion.
02:01That's trillion with a T over the next decade.
02:05Hospital and health care centers in diverse and rural communities will close.
02:115 million children, 51% of all black children will lose eligibility for the full child tax credit.
02:21And so many other atrocities that have been hidden within the 1,000 page mega bill will rise out of the woodwork and strike American lives.
02:34Make no mistake, Trump's bill is going to tear apart the social safety nets millions of Americans depend on just to live.
02:45And that pain will not discriminate.
02:48Black or white, Republican or Democrat, this bill is coming for you and your family.
02:57And it's a simple truth that contempt for working families is hardwired into the administration's DNA.
03:06And their budget reflects that with stunning clarity.
03:10But I assure you, the conscience of the Congress is clear.
03:16We recognize the villainous budget for what it is, just as we recognize those who support it for the villains they are.
03:25So do the American people.
03:28They've called on the House to stop this legislation in its tracks.
03:33And we can stop it.
03:35Four Republicans.
03:37Take a stand.
03:39Let me reiterate.
03:41Four Republicans out of 220 are all that we need to block the big, ugly bill.
03:48Unfortunately, I have my doubts that anyone beyond the usual suspects, let alone four Republicans, have the moral or intestinal fortitude necessary to do so.
04:02We have seen this story play out too many times before.
04:07And so I am certain we'll find out shortly just how many congressional Republicans would rather steal health care and food aid from millions of Americans,
04:18blow up the federal deficit beyond repair, betray every principle they need to stand for those, stand for, then oppose Donald Trump's will and that of his billionaire donors.
04:33We will find out how many of them would choose to hurt their communities instead of hurting the president's feelings.
04:42We'll find out who among them are public servants and who are Donald Trump's servants.
04:50Well, they may be scared of him, but we are certainly not.
04:58We are going to the floor and we are going to fight this bill.
05:04And if it passes, we're going to tell the American people exactly who hurt them.
05:10It's been a long, long list.
05:13And with that, it's my honor and privilege to ask the first vice chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Troy Carter of Louisiana, to bring his comments at this time.
05:28Thank you, Madam Chair.
05:30Thank you to all of my courageous colleagues for standing at a time when America needs us most.
05:38I want to thank you all, press, for joining us.
05:43Thank our illustrious chairwoman for convening us today for this important conversation about Republicans' harmful, one big, ugly bill.
05:55The bottom line is that this legislation will hurt Americans across the country, Republicans and Democrats, but our colleagues don't seem to realize they're not strong enough, bold enough, or bad enough to stand up against Donald Trump,
06:09even when it means their own people will suffer.
06:12How pitiful is that?
06:16I'm deeply concerned about the devastating impacts this bill will have specifically on Medicaid.
06:22Medicaid is more than a program.
06:25It's a lifeline for millions of Americans, children, mothers, and people with disabilities, seniors, and many of whom are black in our community,
06:34and rely on the essential health coverage that Medicaid provides.
06:38Yes, yes, this bill threatens to slash Medicaid funding in historic ways, causing irreparable harm.
06:48Let me be clear.
06:50This bill is a billionaire's boondoggle.
06:54The top 0.1% will gain on an average of $309,000 in 2027.
07:04That's $847 every single day.
07:08Did I mention that SNAP benefits are only $6 a day?
07:11They get a break of $847 a day.
07:16Millionaires will see their pockets lined with an average of $96,400 per year.
07:24Meanwhile, families earning less than $50,000 get a laughable $247 annually.
07:32Less than $1 a day.
07:36This tax cut is for billionaires.
07:39Health care cuts for families.
07:43Billionaires get tax cuts.
07:45Poor people just get cut.
07:48What's wrong with that picture?
07:51The Congressional Budget Office estimates some 17 million Americans will lose their health care because of this ugly bill.
07:58Medicaid SNAP and ACA marketplace cuts total $1.3 trillion, the exact amount to enrich those making over $500,000 a year.
08:11This could have funded and expanded child tax credits, universal family leave, and kept millions insured.
08:21But the Republicans in this White House chose to lean toward the riches of the rich and to have a reverse Robin Hood, to steal from the poor and give to the rich.
08:33Yesterday, I introduced a simple amendment to this bill.
08:37It simply said 100% of any Medicaid savings must be invested back into the program.
08:43Since my colleagues seem to think that there's so much waste, fraud, and abuse, and we all firmly stand against waste, fraud, and abuse, if you find it, put it back into Medicaid.
08:54Since you say that you want to strengthen the program.
08:58This money should help children, mothers, seniors, and people with disabilities not pay for billionaire tax scams.
09:05But as you might imagine, Republicans shot it down.
09:08Why?
09:10Hmm.
09:11Because they never, ever cared about Medicaid.
09:16They never cared about strengthening the system.
09:18They never cared about making it better for generations to come.
09:20They only saw it as a honeypot to find money to give tax breaks to the riches of the rich.
09:27This was the low-hanging fruit in their estimation.
09:30And poor people once again took it on the chin.
09:33My Republican colleagues say they want to protect the vulnerable populations and face and fight waste, fraud, and abuse.
09:41But this bill rips health care away from the very people Medicaid was intended to serve.
09:47It will shutter nursing homes, close rural hospitals, and blow up state budgets.
09:52In my home state of Louisiana, a Republican-led House and Senate passed unanimous resolutions saying this bill will kill Louisiana.
10:04This is the home of our Speaker.
10:08That's right.
10:08Our Majority Leader.
10:09This is a legislature that the Speaker served in along with me.
10:14Along with Majority Leader Scalise.
10:17We all came out of this very body in Louisiana.
10:19This body had the wisdom to say, no, this is bad.
10:24This is bad for all Louisianians and bad for all Americans.
10:29Wake up.
10:30Push back.
10:31Find that intestinal fortitude to do the right thing.
10:36Donald Trump's big, ugly bill is a betrayal of working people,
10:42leaving millions hungry, uninsured, and worst of all, all to fund massive tax breaks.
10:49For the rich is rich.
10:50We stand here today unified.
10:52We invite others to join us.
10:55Just four more.
10:56To come and be brave enough to say that my oath of office is to the people and to the Constitution,
11:03not to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and not to any one president.
11:08We stand firm.
11:09Next, I will bring up Representative Gwynne Moore.
11:16Go, Gwynne.
11:17Thank you so much, Madam Chair and Troy Carter and all of my colleagues from the Congressional Black Caucus.
11:28The conscience of Congress.
11:31The Republicans have jammed their bill, renamed the act,
11:38because the parliamentarian decided that one big, beautiful bill did not meet the guidelines.
11:47It didn't pass the birdbath, the bird rule.
11:50Even the parliamentarian realizes that this nomenclature is inappropriate for this big, ugly bill.
11:58I'm a member of the Ways and Means Committee,
12:00so I want to talk to you about the math and the budget gimmicks that they have used to sell this
12:08to their caucus and to buoy the lies that they have been telling the public.
12:17First of all, this bill came back from the United States Senate with $4 trillion worth of debt equaling zero.
12:28I don't know how I'm going to explain that to my great-grandchildren when I try to teach them math.
12:33I don't know how I'm going to do it.
12:35But they've somehow been able to convince their caucus so far that $4 trillion worth of debt is equal to zero
12:45so that they can meet the budgetary requirements of this budget resolution.
12:52I tell you, while they're killing Sesame Street and Big Bird,
12:58because all of us and our children who were taught through Sesame Street know better than this,
13:03that this math just don't work.
13:06This bill will add trillions of dollars to the deficit.
13:12As a matter of fact, over the past, I would say since the beginning of this century,
13:19the debt has primarily occurred because of unpaid-for tax cuts.
13:26Not because we have spent money on taking care of our people, but because of unpaid-for tax cuts.
13:35So, while many of the committee members that you see here on the Energy and Commerce Committee
13:41that dealt with Medicaid, you know, and also energy credits,
13:48you saw people on the Education Committee deal with their mark,
13:52our committee, the Ways and Means Committee, was told to, instead of cutting,
13:57they have asked us to add $4.5 trillion to the debt.
14:03And boy, I'm telling you, Republicans met their mark
14:07and turned the American people into their mark.
14:13Instead of using the trifecta, the House, the Presidency, and the Senate
14:19to lift up, not only low-income workers, but middle-class Americans,
14:25Republicans chose to prop up the wealthy.
14:28And despite the lies that they have told you,
14:31the distribution tables prove it.
14:35That the majority of these dollars go to the most wealthy.
14:42I'll reiterate some of the numbers, but I'll just tell you,
14:4660%, 66, two-thirds of the benefit of the tax cuts will go to the top 20%.
14:57How many of y'all in the top 20%?
15:00All right, we're not going to wait for you to raise your hands
15:02because we're not going to get any.
15:04None of these people are in the top 20%.
15:06And as Mr. Carter pointed out, that the top 1-10th percent,
15:14not 1%, 1-10th percent, gets a $309,000 tax break
15:22while people making under $50,000 get, drumroll, $247.
15:30And I'm telling you, Republicans have panicked.
15:35They've thrown in stuff like no tax on tips.
15:39Of course, you'll still be paying FICA.
15:42You will be paying tax on those tips.
15:45They're saying that they will not tax seniors on Social Security.
15:49That's a lie.
15:51You're going to get taxed on Social Security
15:53if you earn more than a certain amount.
15:56All they're doing is putting a little temporary supplement in to fool you.
16:00And, you know, the swamp math just doesn't work.
16:08And the biggest thing that they've done, the biggest lie,
16:12you know, that, you know, the low-income people are going to realize
16:16$11,000 increase in their taxes and 72...
16:21I don't know where they get these numbers from.
16:23They get it because the White House and the Republicans in Congress
16:28have agreed that we're going to have never-before-seen growth from these tax cuts.
16:38Well, I'm old enough to know that in the last 45 years of trickle-down theories,
16:45that we ain't seen one drop of trickle.
16:50And this bill is no different.
16:54Tax cuts do not pay for themselves.
16:57Every credible economist will tell you that.
17:01They, Republican economists, will tell you that they don't.
17:05And how do we pay for this?
17:09You'll hear in more detail from other members.
17:12How in the world do we pay for it?
17:15We pay for it, number one, by fuzzy math.
17:20Number two, by demonizing recipients of Medicaid.
17:27Really calling them waste, fraud, and abuse.
17:30Where people on Medicaid, a 64-year-old woman is going to be required to work
17:37in order to get Medicaid or SNAP.
17:41And if she's not been determined to be disabled by the Social Security Administration,
17:48she'll automatically be deemed to be able-bodied.
17:57Okay, I'm coming.
17:58Who's going to pay for this cost when we gut SNAP, Medicaid, and ACA?
18:05The veterans, foster youth, seniors, children who are going to lose school lunch,
18:1317 million Americans who lose health care.
18:17And, you know, this bill is just morally irresponsible.
18:22And I really thank my colleagues for the opportunity to share.
18:26Thank you, Gwen.
18:27And I would now like to yield to the person in our caucus.
18:32She is a Ph.D., actually.
18:34Dr. Robin Kelly, who is the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Brain Trust.
18:42All right.
18:43Thank you very much, Gwen.
18:45Let's give it up for Gwen, y'all.
18:46Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you so much for being here today.
18:51Thank you to Chairwoman Clark for organizing this press conference as the CBC speaks up and out against this bill.
18:59As my colleagues have already said, this bill is cruel and evil.
19:03It was ugly when it first passed the House, and then the Senate Republicans made it worse.
19:08The big, ugly bill will cost people their lives.
19:12That's the bottom line.
19:13As you've heard, 17 million Americans will be stripped of their health care.
19:17When people lose health care, yes, people die.
19:21That's not hyperbole.
19:22That's fact.
19:23And we know who will be most impacted.
19:26Black people.
19:2713.3 million black people rely on Medicaid.
19:31That includes 5.7 million children.
19:34And if that isn't bad enough, the consequences of this bill go beyond the individual person.
19:40It will impact hospitals, which in turn affect everyone, even if you aren't covered by Medicaid.
19:46Emergency rooms will be flooded, or more flooded, I should say.
19:50Wait times will increase.
19:52Life-saving care will be delayed.
19:54Hospitals and health care centers will be overwhelmed.
19:59This Republican bill will lead to $1.3 billion in uncompensated care costs for hospitals across my home state of Illinois,
20:08threatening nine at-risk rural hospitals across the state.
20:12Over 330 hospitals across the country can close.
20:17It is never a good time for a hospital to close.
20:20But right now, our country is in the middle of a black maternal mortality crisis.
20:26Medicaid covers 65% of the births to black women.
20:30Where will black women go if they don't have health insurance and there are no hospitals?
20:35For many black women, the answer would be a local health clinic,
20:39like Planned Parenthood that provides cancer screening, birth control, STI testing, and more.
20:45But Republicans have long sought to end Planned Parenthood, and they're using this bill to defund it.
20:53Nearly half of black women have received care at one of their clinics.
20:57When I was in college, I was one of those black women.
21:00I had moved from New York City to Peoria, Illinois, and I didn't know where else to go for a simple annual checkup.
21:07I knew that Planned Parenthood was reliable, affordable, and accessible.
21:13Sorry if that's too much information.
21:15Our country is also in the midst of another public health crisis, gun violence.
21:21Guns have been the leading cause of death for all children and teens since 2020.
21:26But guns have been the leading cause of death for black children since 2006.
21:31Instead of protecting children, President Trump shut down the Office of Gun Violence Prevention on day one.
21:39They are ending grants for community violence intervention.
21:44Republicans are protecting guns, not children.
21:48The big ugly bill eliminates restrictions on gun silencers and short-barreled rifles.
21:54Gun silencers are not something out of a movie.
21:57They create real harm to communities.
21:59It should be common sense to regulate such dangerous weapons.
22:04But Republicans have made it clear they do not care about black people or black lives.
22:11Republicans are stealing our health care.
22:13They are closing our hospitals and health clinics.
22:16They are exacerbating gun violence and maternal mortality.
22:19Simply put, this bill is deadly.
22:23I'm still voting no.
22:24Hell no.
22:25And with that, I'd like to introduce my colleague from Connecticut, Johanna Hayes.
22:32I'm a teacher of the year, every year.
22:38Thank you, and thank you for being here.
22:41I find it hard to believe when I read articles that say that there's a huge percentage of the American public who doesn't even know what's in this bill.
22:49Because everybody should be paying attention to the profound impact of what is about to happen.
22:55For me, the things that I am focused on are the cuts to nutrition and education, programs that our children rely on, all in order to fund tax breaks for the wealthiest individuals who don't even need it.
23:09This Republican-led reconciliation bill proposes direct attacks on our youngest generation.
23:16The bill is the largest cut ever in history to the SNAP program.
23:22Nearly 27% of black families are recipients of SNAP.
23:27For those families who are already disproportionately affected by food insecurity, these cuts will further deepen those hardships.
23:36When kids lose SNAP benefits, they often lose access to free and reduced lunch at school.
23:42There's something called community eligibility provisions, where schools get reimbursed for their students who receive SNAP benefits.
23:49So when they lose food at home, they're also losing food at school.
23:55This is going to hurt our most vulnerable students and the ones who need it most.
24:00Beyond nutrition, this bill targets education.
24:05Oh wait, before I even move to education, there's a provision in this bill that is so incredibly cruel.
24:12One of my colleagues referred to this as trickle-down cruelty yesterday.
24:15So for families who have children, the age of a minor child went from 18 to 9 in the House version and 14 in the Senate version.
24:29So on a child's 14th birthday, instead of their mother or their father serving them a birthday cake,
24:36which by the way, my colleagues don't want them to be able to buy with SNAP,
24:40they need to be out looking for a job.
24:41They need to be out finding alternative employment to add to the one, two, sometimes three jobs they already have
24:49because they're about to lose their SNAP benefits.
24:52It's beyond cruel.
24:54This bill also targets education.
24:57I'm a teacher.
24:59That is what brought me to Congress.
25:01And the proposed cuts to the Department of Education would have prevented someone like me
25:07from pursuing a higher education and going to school.
25:10About 60% of black students rely on Pell Grants.
25:15This bill makes it harder for students to access Pell Grants, makes student loans more restrictive.
25:22It even eliminates Parent PLUS loans and Graduate PLUS loans.
25:26This is particularly concerning for black students and families who historically rely on these loans
25:32to put their kids through college.
25:34Yes, we all believe in career and technical education.
25:39We all believe that we need a skilled labor force.
25:43But we also know that in our poorest communities, we have students, black students, who are extremely bright.
25:52And they want to go to college.
25:54They want to pursue degrees and go back and help their communities.
25:58The changes in this bill would limit access to higher education and professional careers,
26:04like nurses, engineers, doctors, dentists, and even teachers,
26:09perpetuating cycles of economic disadvantage in our most vulnerable communities.
26:15We do not need to make this choice.
26:17We can afford to feed children in the United States of America.
26:21And even more, we can afford to educate children in the United States of America.
26:26These policies are intended to take food out of the mouths of children,
26:30to strip away their educational opportunities and reward billionaires.
26:36Hungry kids don't learn.
26:38It's that simple.
26:39The two go hand in hand.
26:41You can't be a good teacher without worrying about what's in a kid's belly.
26:45You can't only focus on their brain without focusing on their belly.
26:50Imagine a child hungry and unable to learn.
26:55Now imagine that same child with a brilliant mind who just needs a shot,
27:00who just needs the adults in power to move the obstacles that could make their dreams a reality.
27:06Republicans are not just cutting budgets, they're cutting futures.
27:10They're cutting off the right of every child in this nation to dream big.
27:14They're cutting off the rights of black children to achieve their highest aspirations.
27:20This bill is an act of malice.
27:23I reject this irresponsible legislation.
27:26I will vote no because I will never use my voice, my vote, or my privilege right now of serving in Congress to hurt children.
27:36We have a moral responsibility to ensure that every child has access to nutritious food and a high-quality education.
27:46And if you think this doesn't affect you, wait five minutes.
27:51Your neighbors, your friends, your communities, your families will be decimated by the effects of this reckless, irresponsible piece of legislation.
28:02In this country, no child, no senior, no veteran, no person who works every day should go to bed hungry.
28:12And in this Congress, we have the ability to make sure that that does not happen.
28:19So stick around.
28:20I don't know how long this is going to take.
28:22I don't know if we're going to be here for the Fourth of July, for Labor Day, for Thanksgiving,
28:26but I'll stay as long as it takes because I will not put a cart in that machine and vote to take food out of the mouths of hungry children.
28:37Hello, everybody.
28:49My name is Sydney Kamlager-Dove.
28:52I'm the Congresswoman for the 37th Congressional District.
28:55I am standing here with my colleagues from the Congressional Black Caucus.
28:59We are the Congressional Black Receipts Caucus because we are bringing receipts about what is in this bill.
29:07Let me tell you something.
29:09There is no Republican Party bus coming up here to the Capitol because they know that they are being charged with selling snake oil that's coming out of the White House.
29:23We have a president that is more committed to selling fragrances than he is to telling the truth.
29:32And they are negotiating with this person about bending the knee to him rather than bending the knee to the constituents.
29:44And in our district, in every single district across this country, 85% of voters in every single district want Medicaid, want SNAP, want these programs that they are cutting.
30:02And these Republicans should be listening to their constituents.
30:08Earlier today, every single member of the Congressional Black Caucus stood up to ask for unanimous consent to strip away the amendments to Medicaid and SNAP.
30:20And Virginia Fox didn't even have the decency or the integrity to stand up with each request and deny it.
30:32She sat there like a tumor.
30:35But over 100 members, over 100 members led by the Congressional Black Caucus got up and raised the issue.
30:46Because Medicaid and SNAP are too important, not just to our communities, not just to our constituents, but to this country.
30:56This administration wants to separate us by race so they can divide us by class.
31:04But let me tell you something.
31:07If you cut Medicaid, you're going to close hospitals.
31:11You're going to close urgent cares.
31:12You're going to close community clinics.
31:14And folks, even if they get sick, when they get sick, they are going to show up to those places.
31:21And if they are open, it's going to cost everyone who doesn't have Medicaid more.
31:27And if they do close, they are going to find their way to an emergency room near you and drive up your costs.
31:36So why don't we recognize that we're all connected?
31:41I'm going to tell you something.
31:42This administration is lying when they tell you they have a provision that says no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security.
31:54Let me tell you something.
31:56It's not about zero taxes.
31:58It's a minor deduction.
32:00And I've been up for many long hours.
32:02So I'm a little fuzzy.
32:04But what I can tell you is his math is equally fuzzy.
32:08And it is so fuzzy and complicated that working folks who rely on tips, who rely on overtime, might only end up taking an additional $10 home.
32:21How is $10 going to help you?
32:23Shame, shame, shame.
32:24It's not, especially when the richest of the rich are getting tax breaks of up to $300,000.
32:32I had an amendment that said, if you really care about the working people, then make this tax cut permanent rather than temporary.
32:41Only for the time that you're in office, Donald Trump.
32:44But Republicans don't want to support that.
32:48Make no mistake.
32:49This bill is going to make America more sick, more broke, and more hungry.
32:53While the top 1%, 0.1%, walks away with over $300,000 in tax breaks every year.
33:03And the average American will take home less than $250.
33:08And $250 doesn't mean shit to somebody on a tight budget trying to decide how much of the utility bill can they pay.
33:18If they can pay all of the rent and buy all of the food and get the diapers and the incidentals and the emergencies that crop up.
33:27And Donald Trump doesn't know what it means to hope for an extra $250.
33:33It doesn't go very far when you have a family of four that you have to feed.
33:39I'm going to say it again.
33:40Over 85% of voters in every single district want Medicaid, want SNAP.
33:47And now the new provisions in the Senate version that we have to vote on will also cut into Medicare.
33:54I'm going to say it.
33:55I'm going to say this.
33:57Elections have consequences.
33:59And we are dealing with the consequences of what happened in 2024.
34:03But mean it when I tell you that the Black Caucus is turning into the Receipt Caucus.
34:08Because we want everyone to know what is in this bill.
34:12We want everyone to know how they will be impacted.
34:14We want everyone to know how more broke, how more hungry, how more sick they are going to become.
34:20And we need to be holding these receipts up to and through 2026.
34:25And holding these Republicans accountable.
34:28Why aren't they here with balloons and megaphones touting how beautiful this thing is?
34:33Because they know it stinks just like the cologne that they are selling in the White House.
34:38I'm going to bring it back to Chair Clark.
34:45Well, let me again just thank all of my colleagues, their expertise, their understanding of what's in the Big Ugly is what we want to share with the American people.
34:55At this point, I want to open the floor to any of our reporters who have any questions.
35:01Yes, and just state your name and your outlet.
35:04Thank you, Chair Clark, for doing this.
35:08The Senate added a $50 billion hospital fund for rural states officials to mitigate some of the concerns that senators have about the cuts to Medicaid to their rural constituents.
35:21Obviously, there are a lot of health disparities that you all deal with in some of your suburban and urban districts and states.
35:28Can you just think about how, are you concerned that those constituents will be left behind if the House is successful in passing this bill that includes this bill?
35:37Well, this is a very dangerous bill.
35:39They're going to try to sweeten the pot with all kinds of gimmicks.
35:43At the end of the day, rural, suburban, urban, all of our health care institutions are at peril under this bill.
35:55Can you remember this?
35:56Oh, okay, hold on, hold on.
35:58$50 million to address.
36:01$50 billion.
36:02$50 billion is still woefully short.
36:06When you talk about rural hospitals throughout the country, I will give you my home state as a test case.
36:12When I was in the state Senate, we expanded Medicaid.
36:15We instantly started opening rural hospitals.
36:18People started getting on the polls, on the roads.
36:21The same will be true in reverse.
36:23That $50 billion will not even scratch the surface throughout our entire country.
36:28It is nothing more than window dressing and use to allure and to entice those voters, those members of the Senate who had the courage for a moment to stand up.
36:40They've been throwing a little piece of red meat to sell out the rest of the country.
36:44It will not do the job.
36:46People will still die.
36:47Hospitals will still close.
36:48We will continue to protest what is taking place under the Trump administration.
37:15We will do everything within our power, within the procedures of the floor, to make sure that the American people are educated, informed, and understand where this harm is coming from.
37:28Our colleagues on the other side of the aisle, as Congresswoman Kamalaga Duff has said, have been lying through their teeth to make sure that they can benefit the billionaire class in America.
37:43At the end of the day, the vast majority of Americans will be devastated if this bill were to pass.
37:52But also, can I just say...
37:53Hold on one moment.
37:55Joanna Hayes.
37:56They're their own problem.
37:58We're good.
37:59We've all voted.
38:00We're here.
38:01We're doing what we have to do.
38:02We got a procedural amendment, an easy vote.
38:06This isn't even the hard vote.
38:08That's been open for 103 minutes because they can't get their members to vote to add an amendment about debate.
38:17So the question, I guess, needs to be directed at them.
38:21They can't even...
38:22If this bill is as beautiful as you say it is, if you have a mandate and an assignment, then turn it in.
38:30We're here.
38:31All these members have come back.
38:33Every Democrat is on record, having voted.
38:36Tally, Democrats, 2-12.
38:38We're here.
38:40I don't understand how in between votes, they lose 20, 30 members and then have to rally them back.
38:47So we understand the assignment.
38:49And we're here doing what we have to do.
38:51They're their own problem right now.
38:54Let me try...
38:55I'm going to say this.
38:56We have to manage people's expectations.
38:58There are only certain tools in the toolbox, but one of the tools we do have is telling the truth.
39:03And the truth is every single person will be impacted if this bill is passed.
39:07And we know that he is twisting people's arms, but we also know that Medicaid, that health care, fuels economies.
39:15And when you're cutting health care, when you're cutting Medicaid, you're also cutting jobs.
39:20That's why folks are up in arms.
39:22They're trying to figure out how to square the circle.
39:24And the circle does not square with this math.
39:28The circle does not square.
39:29So we're here.
39:30We're going to vote.
39:31They're running.
39:32They're in their offices.
39:34They're drinking whiskey.
39:35They're at the White House.
39:36They are trying to figure out how to switch the narrative so that they can pivot away from the truth.
39:41But the truth is every single person will be impacted.
39:45You will either have your health care cut or you will have your costs go up.
39:49Thank you all very much.
39:52Thank you for enduring the heat and getting our message.
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