Supporting the Democratic Women's Caucus on Defending Snap and Medicaid Cuts

Floor Speech

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Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to defend Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps, from an ongoing Republican assault.

In a few hours Republicans will meet to advance a bill that abandons Americans who are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. It guts Medicaid, which covers health care for children, people with disabilities, seniors, and low-income workers, and it cuts nearly $300 billion from agriculture and programs that combat hunger, including food stamps.

This Republican bill cuts Medicaid, forcing states to pay more or cover fewer people--it cuts benefits.

I think of the 64,000 people in Connecticut, including 27,000 children, who can eat thanks to food stamps.

If this program is pushed back to the states, who have fewer resources, the children will go hungry, and their families will not be able to afford healthy foods. In this cost of living crisis, the last thing we should be doing is making it harder for families to put food on the table. But that is exactly what Republicans are preparing to do. The results will be devastating--the largest cut to the most successful anti-hunger program in American history. All to pay for massive giveaways to billionaires.

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