Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On President Trump’s Slew Of Devastating Executive Orders That Will Lead To A “Golden Age” Of Hurting The Middle Class

Washington, D.C. – Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor on President Trump’s executive orders that have dismantled decades of progress for working people, middle class families, and health care affordability. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:

The more people look at President Trump’s executive orders, the more obvious it becomes that no golden age is coming to America – unless, of course, you are very rich, well-connected, or own a drug or oil company.

With the ferocity of a bulldozer, Donald Trump has spent his first few days in office dismantling decades of progress that has helped working people, helped middle class families, and helped people afford health care.

There are many executive orders signed by the President that have flown under the radar, but nonetheless prove devastating.

He has halted, for one, leasing for wind energy projects in the outer continental shelf, putting at risk billions in investments and killing very good-paying jobs in the U.S. and my state of New York – out on Long Island, particularly.

He thinks he can cut them off. Of course we're going to fight that, and people will fight it in the courts. But President Trump yesterday was out there touting a new program, a new proposal by some investor, to create more energy because we need it.

But in his EOs, he says no to clean energy, no offshore wind! Isn’t that ridiculous? It's robbing Peter to pay Paul. It is talking out of both sides of your mouth. It is one hand doing one thing, the other hand doing the opposite.

It is devastating – devastating – and we're going to fight that proposal tooth and nail because it is so important, to New York, to Long Island, to America.

He has repealed Biden-era policies that make it easier for Americans to enroll in the Affordable Care Act. Twenty-million Americans pay less for health care. That’s in the executive orders, to get rid of it.

And, in his first week in office, he’s killed policies that provided a year of postpartum care for low-income moms in Medicaid. How is that the idea of a golden age?

Here in Congress, it’s the same story with our congressional Republicans. They continue to dedicate the lion’s share of their energy into finding the best ways to pass their multi-trillion dollar tax cuts for the ultra-rich.

But I want to leave my Republican colleagues, who are now talking about budget and debt ceiling and all of that, with some food for thought: all this planning and agonizing about one bill or two bills is a side show. Eventually it is going to be clear they cannot pass anything significant without Democratic help.

Republicans have spent their entire time talking amongst themselves about tax breaks and radical budget cuts, when they should be spending more time with Democrats talking about bipartisan policies that do not prioritize the ultra-wealthy. But thus far at least, Republicans haven’t even pretended to be bipartisan.

Instead of indulging their hard-right ideology of tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy, Republicans should put the needs of ordinary Americans first. Make a golden era indeed, but for the middle class and working people, not for the powerful and privileged. We look forward to them coming and working with us on these issues.

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