Boyle Closing Statement After 12-Hour Committee Markup of Republican Economic Plan to Betray the Middle Class

Of the 32 amendments Democrats introduced during the 12-hour budget markup, every single one of them was rejected by the Republican majority, including:

• Ranking Member Boyle’s (PA-02) amendment to stop the Republican Rip Off by rejecting extreme cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and programs the American people rely on and put an end to the Republican plot to give $4.5 trillion in tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations;

• Rep. Becca Balint’s (VT) amendment to protect the Affordable Care Act from Republican attempts to weaken and repeal this life-saving legislation;

• Rep. Veronica Escobar’s (TX-16) amendment to stop Republicans from rolling back historic provisions that lower prescription drug prices for American families;

• Reps. Gabe Amo (RI-01), Morgan McGarvey (KY-03), and Ilhan Omar’s (MN-05) amendments to ensure kids, seniors, Americans with disabilities, and those in need can continue receiving care and food assistance;

• Rep. Marcy Kaptur (OH-09) and Rep. Stacey Plaskett’s (VI-AL) amendments to keep unelected billionaires like Elon Musk from getting ahold of sensitive taxpayer information and your private data; and,

• Even more amendments to safeguard affordable health care, child care, Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP, education opportunity, research and innovation, and make certain that billionaires and big corporations pay their fair share.

Instead of accepting Democratic amendments that would have protected the middle class, Republicans chose to accept two amendments that prioritize corporate interests and the wealthy at the expense of working families:

• An amendment that weakens critical protections, jeopardizing public safety by undermining regulations that ensure clean air, safe drinking water, and secure workplaces.

• An amendment that paves the way for even more tax breaks for billionaire donors—funded by stripping resources from hardworking middle-class Americans.

A summary of all 32 amendments can be found here. The text of all 32 amendments can be found here.

Ranking Member Boyle’s remarks as delivered:

Well, Mr. Chairman, I thank you and just echoing the comments of my colleague from the Virgin Islands, Ms. Plaskett, and echoing something I'd said earlier: Despite all the sacrifices really our families make, we are honored to be here.

We are here at a moment and on a committee where it matters, where our votes matter and where our voices matter. And on this side of the dais, we wouldn't have fought so hard over the last 12 hours, offering more than 30 amendments to prevent this extreme Republican budget from wreaking havoc on working families.

Each of our amendments was a direct effort to shield the American people from the reckless cuts embedded in this proposal. Cuts that will hurt the most vulnerable while giving trillions of dollars of handouts to the ultra rich.

We fought to protect Medicaid and Medicare, ensuring that seniors, low income families, children and people with disabilities don't see their health care stripped away. We fought to safeguard sensitive taxpayer data, an issue that has become even more urgent now that Elon Musk has been given access to IRS records, raising serious concerns about privacy and abuse of power.

We worked to preserve the ACA tax credits, which allow millions of Americans to afford health coverage and to defend Social Security, a bedrock promise that ensures retirees can live with dignity after a lifetime of work. Beyond health care and retirement security, we also sought to protect students, educators, workers, and veterans from these devastating cuts that are in this budget.

We proposed amendments to maintain funding for public education, ensuring that schools remain adequately resourced. And the teachers don't bear the burden of budget shortfalls. And we stood up for veterans who risked their lives for this country and deserve more than empty rhetoric. They deserve fully funded health care, food assistance, and the benefits they earned through their service.

Yet, despite the clear benefits of these proposals, Republicans oppose all of them. Instead of choosing to protect the American people. They chose to protect billionaires and corporations.

As we close my fellow Democrats, I am proud to stand with you, united in our commitment to fight for working families, because let's be clear about what is at stake.

House Republicans are once again betraying the middle class of this country and those who aspire to be in it. We need to resoundingly, overwhelmingly, and unitedly say no to this Republican betrayal.

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