Chairman Aguilar: The Republican Budget is going to take health care away from millions of working Americans to pay for billionaire tax cuts
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar and Vice Chair Ted Lieu were joined by House Budget Committee Ranking Member Brendan Boyle and Rep. Veronica Escobar for a press conference on the Republican budget scheme that betrays working families by cutting Medicaid to pay for tax breaks to billionaires.
CHAIRMAN AGUILAR: Good morning. Pleased to be joined, as always, with Vice Chair Ted Lieu and also Ranking Member Brendan Boyle of the Budget Committee and Congresswoman Veronica Escobar of the Budget Committee, as well.
Folks, Donald Trump's first month has been a disaster. The only president less popular than Donald Trump in the first month of his second term is Donald Trump in the first month of his first term. People are angry that Trump and Republicans broke their promise to lower costs on day one, and the Trump-endorsed Republican Budget does nothing to bring down the costs of gas, groceries, housing, rent or utilities. It is yet another reminder of Republicans’ only priority, which is lowering taxes for billionaires.
The Republican Budget is going to take health care away from millions of working Americans—and even children—to pay for a tax cut that Elon Musk and Republican billionaire donors asked for. Now, some of our friends on the other side of the aisle will say this is just a procedural step. Please don't hold this vote against me. Here's the truth: this vote doesn't just open the door for Medicaid cuts, it guarantees them. Republicans are hiding because they're terrified of voting against Trump's endorsed budget, but their constituents are banging down their doors and demanding answers on why they care more about reducing costs for billionaires instead of working families.
Our challenge to House Republicans is, after you pass this budget today, which cuts Medicaid by $880 billion, go home and have a town hall with your constituents, see how they feel about what you just did. If you're going to rip away health care from people, then you ought to be able to defend your vote directly to them, but that would require the House Republican Conference growing a spine, so we'll see. Next Vice Chair Ted Lieu.
VICE CHAIR LIEU: Thank you, Chairman Aguilar. It's an honor to be here with Brendan Boyle and Veronica Escobar on the Budget Committee
At the beginning of Donald Trump's term, shortly after the inauguration, Donald Trump was at plus six approval. Reuters has been tracking Donald Trump's approval and disapproval for the first 30 days, and they recently released a poll showing that Donald Trump is now at minus seven. So less than one month, that's a swing of 13 points. And why are Trump's numbers free-falling? One reason is because Trumponomics sucks. His indiscriminate tariffs are increasing prices and increasing inflation. Firing people who work on the bird flu, or cutting funding for folks who work on bird flu is going to increase egg prices. And by the way, a lot of places you can't even get eggs.
And nowhere is the harm of Trumponomics more exemplified than the Republican Budget. This GOP Budget is going to cut $880 billion of Medicaid to then fund huge tax cuts for the super-wealthy and for billionaires. And what does $880 billion in Medicaid look like? It means the shutting down of community health clinics, the shutting down of hospitals, the shutting down of nursing homes, and approximately two-thirds of nursing home patients are paid for by Medicaid. This is going to have a huge impact on the middle class, on the poor, all so that billionaires can get even richer. We're asking everyone to stand up and oppose this Republican Budget betrayal.
I'm so honored now to introduce the Ranking Member of our Budget Committee, the great Brendan Boyle from Philadelphia, home of the Super Bowl-winning Eagles.
RANKING MEMBER BOYLE: I did not pay Ted to introduce me in that way, but I appreciate it. Brendan Boyle, Congressman, proudly of Philadelphia, and also the Ranking Member of the Budget Committee.
Let's be clear: the Republican budget represents the Republican betrayal of the middle class. It cuts at least one and a half trillion dollars, including at least $880 billion from Medicaid, in order to partially pay for trillions of dollars in tax cuts, most of which go to the richest 1% of Americans. It also increases the deficit and the national debt to the tune of $4 trillion. Even a number of House Republicans have come out upon reading the bill and recognized this fact. And by the way, this is from the same crowd that for the last four years, did nothing but shed crocodile tears over the national debt. So, you can see why this is such a Republican betrayal of the middle class. It betrays the very folks who voted for Donald Trump in order to bring down costs at the supermarket. We haven't seen one second spent on that subject. What we have seen is that, yet again, the top priority for my Republican colleagues is to cut and slash government programs, most especially Medicaid, in order to finance tax cuts for the richest 1%. And let's be clear about it, because there are some on the other side who are attempting to confuse people. This absolutely guarantees Medicaid cuts that would amount to the largest cuts to Medicaid in American history, all to deliver tax cuts for the richest 1%.
With that, I'm happy to yield to a great Budget Committee Member, my friend, Veronica Escobar.
REP. ESCOBAR: Thank you, Chairman. Thank you, Vice Chair. Thank you, Ranking Member. Buenos días. It's my privilege to be here standing with great champions for hard working American families.
I think it's really important for us to remember what happened last year. Last year, the American people went to the polls and overwhelmingly told candidates and told incumbents, ‘we want you to focus on the cost of living. We want you to lower our everyday costs. We want you to tackle inflation.’ Where are we today? We are seeing inflation increase. We are seeing costs go up, and the American people need our help.
This budget not only doesn't help hard working Americans, this budget will devastate hard working Americans in a way that is absolutely a betrayal of the middle class. This budget will make Americans sicker, poorer, and this budget will make their lives more challenging. You cannot make the kind of deep cuts that this budget resolution unlocks without harming the people who are depending on us to make their lives better. And as my colleagues mentioned in Medicaid alone, in the cuts that will have to happen as a result of this resolution, we are going to see Americans have their premiums, their Affordable Care Act premiums, double. Does that make their lives better? Does that make things more affordable? We are going to see families who have a loved one who is disabled lose their benefits. Does this make their lives better? Does this make the cost of living more affordable for them? We are going to see families who have a loved one in a nursing home have to figure out the future for their elderly parent or grandparent, because Medicaid cuts will impact them. Will that make their lives better or more affordable? When community hospitals close, when community clinics close, will that make people's lives better or more affordable? Absolutely not.
And there will also be an impact on local economies. We have data that shows for every dollar spent on SNAP, that means $1.50, that means it impacts the local economy by $1.50. By removing the support that the American people look to us to guarantee, we are not just going to hurt everyday Americans. We're going to hurt economies around the country at a time when Americans want us to do the opposite.
Let every Republican considering voting in favor of this terrible budget explain to their constituents how this improves their lives or makes their lives better. I'll tell you who it does, whose life it does improve – those billionaires who will be able to buy another yacht because of these tax cuts; another jet because of these tax cuts; another luxury home because of these tax cuts. But go talk to Thomas Massie also, about what this will do to the debt, and he’ll tell you what it’ll do to the debt. Thank you.
Video of the full press conference and Q&A can be viewed here.
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