Boyle: The Decision We Have Been Entrusted to Make Will Have Ramifications for Millions

WASHINGTON, DC — In closing remarks during debate on the House floor, Congressman Brendan F. Boyle (PA-02), Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee, laid out how millions of Americans could wake up to find Trump and Republicans have ripped away their health care and food assistance to enrich the GOP’s billionaire donors.

Background:

• Ranking Member Boyle’s opening remarks can be found here.
• A fact sheet on the Republican reconciliation bill can be found here.
• State and district data on the impacts of this legislation can be found here.
• A fact sheet on the over $500 billion in Medicare cuts triggered by this bill can be found here.

Remarks as delivered and video are below:

(Click for video of remarks as delivered)

Ranking Member Boyle's remarks as delivered:

 This has been a very long day after many, many days that have stretched into the night to the following morning, such as this one, after a very long six months on this bill.

But what really matters in these next few moments is that the decision we have been entrusted by the American people to make will have ramifications for millions of our fellow Americans, and indeed for our country for decades to come. There may not be a lot of people able to watch at 4:05 in the morning.

But in just a few short hours, some of them on Medicaid will be waking up and turning on the news to find out if what we did here tonight means they're about to lose it. Some of the people who get their health care from the ACA exchanges will be turning on their TV to find out what we've done in these next few minutes, and if they will still be able to have healthcare.

The folks like my dad who are on Medicare who are writing in emailing and calling us saying, "don't cut Medicare." They will find out in a few moments whether or not we've pushed through the biggest cut to Medicare in American history. The kids who rely on SNAP, the nutrition assistance program, they may not quite understand it, but make no mistake about it what we are about to do in the next few minutes here will have a profound effect on their lives.

Not to mention the millions of Americans who may not be on Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP, or the ACA, but who rely on a hospital in a rural area who now may see that hospital close because of the cuts that are in this piece of legislation. And of course for many years to come, we and our kids and our grandkids are gonna be saddled with even more debt to afford tax cuts for those who need them the least.

This is not just bad economics. I believe it is immoral. I would remind us the Congressional Budget Office just last week found the final analysis of this bill, when all of its component parts are summed together, it found this, the bottom third of households would be poorer. The middle of the country would be no better off, and the biggest benefit would go to the top 1 percent of Americans.

This legislation makes the poor poorer, the rich richer, and the middle class left behind. On behalf of the millions of Americans who are relying on us to hold firm on behalf of this side of the aisle, we say, hell no.

Vote no on this bill.

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