Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On Republicans’ Budget Plans To Eviscerate Funding For Medicaid To Create Tax Cuts For Billionaires

Washington, D.C. – Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor on Congressional Republicans’ budget plans to grant billionaires unnecessary tax cuts at the expense of programs crucial to American families, such as Medicaid. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:

Last month, consumer confidence took its biggest nosedive in four years. This is how confident consumers – average Americans – feel about the economy.

Inflation is trending back up.

The price of eggs is sky high.

The threat of a trade war looms over our country.

And Americans are fearful that things are not going to get better any time soon.

And what are Republicans doing about all this?

They are trying to cut taxes for billionaires and make the American people pay for it.

The Republican agenda is quickly taking shape: under Donald Trump’s Republican party, billionaires win, American families lose.

It doesn’t matter if Republicans go with one bill or two bills or fifty bills. That’s what they’re debating right now.

Their end game – House and Senate Republicans – has always been cutting taxes for billionaires, and forcing American families to pick up the tab.

Of course, Senate Republicans know cutting Medicaid by over $800 billion to lower taxes for billionaires is wildly unpopular.

They know that increasing the deficit by up to five trillion dollars to help the ultra-rich contradicts everything the so-called party of fiscal responsibility stands for. They say they have to cut all this stuff to reduce the deficit, and then with their tax breaks for billionaires, they increase the deficit. It doesn’t matter what sleight of hand accounting method they use.

What are Republicans doing about fiscal responsibility? Are they admitting that their plans would be a disaster for the deficit?

No. Instead, Senate Republicans are engaged in budgetary hocus pocus to hide the true cost of their tax cuts for the ultra-rich. And there may be signs that House Republican leadership may go along.

Instead of admitting the truth about the consequences of their plans, they are pursuing a gimmick called current policy baseline, a gimmick if there ever was one. It is essentially an attempt to magically turn five trillion dollars of deficit spending into zero dollars of deficit spending. That can't happen, and doesn't happen, and the economy will realize it doesn't happen.

Any junior high school math student could tell you that this is a bunch of bunk. You can’t pass five trillion dollars to cut taxes for the rich and pretend like it doesn’t affect the deficit.

The issue isn’t complicated: Republicans are trying to hide the true cost of their billionaire tax cuts from the American people.

Meanwhile, they’re getting ready to eviscerate funding for health care that serves over 80 million Americans – kids, seniors, people in rural communities. These cuts to Medicaid will dramatically hurt rural America, people with disabilities, and more. The only people who seem to be opposing this is the hard-right Freedom Caucus, because they seem to really care about the deficit. Let's hope they stay strong for the sake of the economy of this country.

Of course, the American people aren’t going to take these Medicaid cuts lying down.

Last night, I got on a Zoom call with over three thousand New Yorkers worried about the attacks from Republicans on their health care – more than we expected.

These were rank and file folks: health care advocates, union members, and concerned citizens from all walks of life. They were all upset about the cuts to Medicaid and putting those cuts in place in order to give tax breaks for billionaires.

It was a great call. It was an energizing call. I urge my colleagues to do the same, as many of them are.

It’s a stark reminder of what’s at stake, but also a reminder that the American people don't like these cuts.

We heard from New Yorkers who are in danger of having their Medicaid coverage taken away if Republicans proceed with their actions, on this Zoom call of over three thousand people.

But we also talked about taking action. I urged participants to call their members of Congress. I urged them to mobilize online and to organize in their communities. We urged everyone to make their voices heard, like we are seeing in town hall meetings. I reminded folks that organizing is not easy but it works. It changes things. And it’s going to make a difference in making sure Medicaid is protected.

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