In remarks on the House floor before the Congressional recess, Congressional Democrats spoke about the importance of protecting Social Security.
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00:00Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent for all members to have five legislative days
00:06to revise and extend the remarks and include any extraneous material on the subject of
00:11my special order hour.
00:13Without objection.
00:14Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
00:17Mr. Speaker, I take to the floor today to raise the alarm for the people of Illinois'
00:243rd Congressional District.
00:25Today, I'm standing here for the 197,569 people, including 94,806 children and 22,000 seniors
00:39whose Medicaid is at risk of being taken from them.
00:43I stand here for the 69,000 people in Illinois' 3rd who count on SNAP benefits and could be
00:51losing them.
00:51I stand here for the 28,000 people who receive coverage under the Affordable Care Act and
00:58may see their average premium go up by $820 a year, a 40% increase.
01:06You see, Mr. Speaker, the working people of my district rely on federal programs and services,
01:12and they also rely on the essential Illinois' 3rd organizations that provide federally-funded
01:18social programs and services.
01:20And so I stand for the 11 federally-funded health centers with a presence in Illinois' 3rd
01:27that leveraged $78,954,648 in federal investments for 624,770 patients.
01:42I also stand here in the People's House for CETA, which provides LIHEAP assistance to 179,082
01:51working people in Cook County to weather the extreme temperatures.
01:56I stand here for the Puerto Rican Cultural Center under the leadership of Jose and the AIDS
02:03foundation, La Casa Norte, and so many in Illinois' 3rd serving organizations that meet the needs
02:10of our diverse constituents who are facing uncertainty about federal funding in this precise moment.
02:18My colleagues and I are standing here because my Republican colleagues have bowed down to the whims of an
02:24unelected billionaire and a wannabe dictator.
02:27They are stealing from the American people so that they can enrich billionaire bosses and expand their wealth at the expense of our working families.
02:39Consider that for a moment.
02:41The richest man in the world is demanding cuts in the services that working families rely on.
02:52The richest man in the world who could be making contributions to end hunger globally decides that
03:00we should be cutting program services for working families, many of which my colleagues will talk about today.
03:08But, Mr. Speaker, as we stand here today in the people's house, I want to be very clear about something.
03:16I will not betray working families by supporting a budget that harms working families to make the rich richer.
03:26We have to stand up in this precise moment in the people's house.
03:32Republicans must also stand up to their billionaire bosses and do what is right.
03:38What they were elected to do, represent their constituents.
03:43We must protect and defend the federally funded social programs and services that the American people rely on.
03:50And now, I would like to be able to yield to my colleagues who will share about the programs and services their constituents rely on
04:01and that they were sent to Congress to defend.
04:04Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield to the gentleman from New York, Mr. Kennedy.
04:20Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want to recognize Representative Ramirez for her leadership on this important issue.
04:29I rise today not just as a member of Congress, but as a health care practitioner.
04:35Like so many of my fellow health care workers, I became an occupational therapist to help people.
04:42Before entering public office, I spent over a decade working with seniors and children to help them achieve independent, full lives.
04:51Last week, the Trump administration made it harder for our health care providers to deliver the services Americans rely on
05:00by terminating 10,000 hardworking members of the Department of Health and Human Services workforce.
05:07Under this administration, a total of 20,000 HHS employees have been illegally fired, putting Americans at risk every day.
05:17These cuts do nothing for the people in western New York or anywhere else across the country.
05:24They're a means of giving tax cuts to the ultra-rich and powerful, those who never have to worry about access to reliable health care.
05:32These cuts are more than numbers on a balance sheet.
05:36These are lives that hang in the balance.
05:38For Western New York, this will make it harder for Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center or the University at Buffalo to advance their life-saving work.
05:49These cuts mean delayed treatments, denied cures, stolen hopes from patients battling cancer, Parkinson's, ALS, Alzheimer's, and so many other devastating diseases.
06:01I've felt the pain and hope of patients, grandparents, mothers, fathers, and children who are counting on the next clinical breakthrough to survive.
06:14These cuts say to them, your health doesn't matter.
06:18Your life doesn't matter.
06:19President Trump, unelected billionaire Elon Musk, and Secretary Robert Kennedy are more concerned with cutting services and pushing an anti-science agenda than they are with supporting and improving our health care system.
06:34By walking away from practitioners and patients, the Trump administration is abdicating its duty to our most vulnerable and signaling to the world that the United States is no longer the global leader in scientific research.
06:49As someone who spent years treating patients, I know that abandoning our scientists, our research institutions, our doctors and nurses, and worst of all, our patients, puts our entire community and country at risk.
07:06I urge this body, Democrats and Republicans, to stand up for our health care heroes, invest in breakthroughs that millions of lives are depending on,
07:15and restore the funding and workforce our nation's health care system depends upon.
07:20I yield back.
07:23Thank you, Mr. Congressman Kennedy.
07:26I have the opportunity and honor to serve with you in the Veteran Affairs Committee.
07:31And every day I see the work that you do to uphold the work that is necessary to protect the benefits of our veterans.
07:41And I'm so grateful for the way that you continue to show up for your constituents in New York and for the entire nation.
07:47It is an honor truly to serve with you.
07:50Mr. Speaker, this past Saturday, you saw constituents from every single state in the country come out to protest and rally.
08:01You saw children and you saw people who are probably closer to 100 years of age, walking through streets, going to the parks, and asking other members of Congress,
08:17have you forgotten about the people that sent you to Congress?
08:22Well, I want to say, as we are standing here in the House of Representatives, that New York, that Michigan, that Texas, that Chicago has members of Congress
08:34who are unwilling to accept the idea that we would slash the very same programs that we promise to protect for the American people.
08:45And so today, I am grateful that I get to be here with members of Congress, not just from New York, but also with a colleague of mine
08:55who continues to ring the alarm for the safety net programs that our constituents here and in Michigan need and deserve.
09:04And so I'd like to yield for as much time as she needs to the gentlewoman from Michigan, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib.
09:10Thank you so much for the leadership, Congresswoman Ramirez, who has led with her own lived experiences and her compassion,
09:19that she leads with compassion, which I think is sometimes missing here in this chamber.
09:23But Republicans are advancing, as we all know, a budget that concludes $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid to pay for tax breaks for billionaires.
09:31These are folks that do not fully understand what it means to live paycheck by paycheck.
09:3760% of our residents in our country live paycheck to paycheck.
09:43Just so we're clear, the $880 billion cut to Medicaid, this is the largest Medicaid cut in American history.
09:5172 million people rely on Medicaid for health care in our nation, including 40% of people in Speaker Johnson's own district.
10:00For families, seniors, and people with disabilities who rely on Medicaid,
10:03it is a difference between life and death, Mr. Speaker.
10:06But right now, the future of Medicaid is under threat.
10:10I've heard many of my Republican colleagues in this chamber try to gaslight the American people
10:14and claim that the budget does not make cuts to Medicaid.
10:18Well, Senator Hawley, as we know, just offered an amendment to the same legislation
10:23right now that came through this chamber to strip the $880 billion in Medicaid cuts out of that bill.
10:29And it was voted down by members of his own party.
10:33The amendment literally said, quote,
10:35to strike the section related to reconciliation instructions to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
10:41of the House of Representatives to cut $880 billion from Medicaid.
10:46And your Republican colleagues in the Senate voted it down.
10:50So let's be honest with the American people.
10:52If you're going to cut their health care, be honest about it.
10:56Don't gaslight and try to pretend.
10:57But those who rely on Medicaid aren't just a number.
11:00They're our neighbors.
11:01They're our friends.
11:01They're our families.
11:03They depend on Medicaid for health services, treatment, medication.
11:06They simply cannot afford due to our broken health care system.
11:10Make no mistake.
11:11Republicans want to give away trillions of dollars, Mr. Speaker, let's be honest,
11:15to the richest people in our nation like Elon Musk and all of President Trump's friends
11:20and let children and seniors die from the lack of health care coverage.
11:25But, you know, as the chair of the Congressional Mamas Caucus, I need to bring this to light
11:30because this is important when we talk about Medicaid.
11:33You know, maternal health, Black Maternal Health Week begins on April 11th, Mr. Chair.
11:41And Michigan has one of the highest Black maternal health rates in our nation.
11:45Medicaid plays a critical role in supporting maternal health, covering a significant portion of births in our country,
11:52and providing access to health care for pregnant women, postpartum individuals, including prenatal care, Mr. Speaker, and postpartum services.
12:02So black women, we know, are three times higher or more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women.
12:08And this is absolutely unacceptable.
12:10And we must address it at the federal level.
12:12But here we are, Mr. Speaker, here we are, because we have systems right out in place, institutions that have failed our folks.
12:19But here we are saying, you know what?
12:21We're also going to take away your health care coverage.
12:25Cutting Medicaid, again, is going to be a life or death situation for our families, including women, birthing women.
12:35It's a result, of course, we know of different systems, they're broken systems.
12:39But at this moment, when we know we have a crisis in their mortality, we have a crisis in Black maternal health, we have a crisis in our health care system.
12:47It's a broken system.
12:49It's sick care, not health care.
12:51And here we are, watching again folks choose billionaires over the people that they elected, the people that elected them.
12:59And we must raise our voices, and I'm glad and so incredibly happy to be serving with my sister in service, Representative Ramirez.
13:07We must raise our voice again, because we have to defeat this dangerous Republican budget.
13:11Again, our residents deserve better.
13:13With that, I yield back.
13:15Thank you, Congresswoman Tlaib.
13:17You're absolutely right.
13:18Our constituents, in fact, do deserve better.
13:21You know, as I go back to the district and I look at the emails and the phone calls that are coming through,
13:26our constituents are saying, what are you doing to defend me?
13:30What are you doing to protect the programs that we depend on to stay alive?
13:35You need to do more.
13:37And one of the things that we have said in our town halls, on the calls, on the emails,
13:41as constituents come to D.C. demanding that we protect these critical programs,
13:47is that we have to use every single opportunity.
13:50Be in committee.
13:52Be in the conversations we're having with colleagues.
13:55And every moment, we can get to the House floor and talk about what's at stake in this precise moment.
14:02We have to make sure that everyone hears that we are doing everything we can to protect these critical programs.
14:10Because many of our constituents in this moment are feeling that they're being gaslighted
14:15by the very same people that send them to Congress.
14:19And so it's important to hear from the champions that are taking a stand.
14:23And with us today, I also get to be with one of our newer members of Congress,
14:27as someone that yields from the great state of Texas, where there are champions for justice,
14:34who are fighting to protect Social Security, who are fighting to protect Medicaid,
14:38who are fighting to protect the very same programs that are critical and have made this country great.
14:44And so I would like to yield to the gentlewoman from Texas, Congresswoman Johnson.
14:51All right, thank you so much.
14:53I want to thank the gentlewoman for yielding and hosting this important special order hour
14:58on a topic that impacts many of my constituents in North Texas.
15:02Since day one, the Trump administration has targeted essential social services
15:07that make government unreliable for all Americans.
15:11Veterans, people with disabilities, seniors, our children,
15:14all of these people and more rely on government to survive.
15:20And all President Trump wants to do is cut, cut, and cut.
15:24Let's call it what it is.
15:25It's a full-on assault of the most essential lifelines millions of Americans count on,
15:32especially Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid,
15:36that are in the crosshairs of this administration.
15:40The Trump administration and Republicans in this House are pushing cuts to the programs
15:44that Texas rely on every day.
15:46These aren't just numbers in a budget.
15:48They are the difference between stability and catastrophe for hundreds of thousands of my constituents.
15:53In Texas alone, more than 4 million people rely on Medicaid for health care,
15:59including half of the children in our state.
16:03Now, let me remind you, this is a state of 32 million people.
16:07Half of the children in our state rely on Medicaid.
16:12One out of every two kids in Texas.
16:16So when Trump proposes gutting it, he's not just slashing spending.
16:19He's taking away critical health care from children.
16:23From seniors in nursing homes and people with disabilities who depend on it to survive.
16:29You know, today in the Capitol, one of my dear friends is here visiting who runs a hospice company.
16:36They provide dignity of care to people at the end of their life.
16:42Necessary comfort for families as they're trying to deal with these situations.
16:48End of life care is the most expensive part of our health care system.
16:53But companies like hospice companies, they provide a necessary but much more affordable access
17:00to the end of life with dignity for families.
17:03And they rely on Medicaid.
17:05They rely on Medicare to stay in business.
17:08They'll help families and so many people in need.
17:11We still have to even talk about Social Security.
17:13Over 4 million Texans, retirees, veterans, widows, people with disabilities rely on Social Security
17:20to keep the lights on, keep food on the table, and pay their bills.
17:24It's not a luxury.
17:25It's a promise this country made to working people.
17:28If you pay in, you can retire with dignity.
17:32But Trump's budget says otherwise.
17:34He's talking about entitlement reform.
17:36That's Washington-speak for cuts.
17:40Cuts that would hit rural communities, communities of color, and low-income seniors the hardest.
17:47Let me be crystal clear.
17:49Texas already ranks 43rd in the nation in access to health care.
17:53It's a statistic I'm not proud of from my state.
17:56We lead the nation in uninsured adults.
17:59You know, we also lead the nation in maternal mortality and infant mortality.
18:03Two statistics the Republicans in our state should be embarrassed of.
18:09And now Trump and Republicans want to make it worse.
18:12It's cruel, it's reckless, and it's dead wrong.
18:15This isn't about balancing a budget.
18:17It is about priorities.
18:19Donald Trump's priorities are tax breaks for his buddies,
18:22while working families are told to tighten their belts.
18:25We should be expanding care, not slashing it.
18:28We should be protecting retirement security, not playing games with the futures of people,
18:33who work their entire lives.
18:35Texas families are watching, and we will not let this administration destroy the programs
18:40that protect our health, our security, and our basic dignity.
18:43I urge my colleagues, especially my Republican colleagues,
18:48you represent the same people I do.
18:51Hard-working folks trying to make ends meet, trying to provide a life for their kids.
18:57If you went to your town halls, you should see people standing up, speaking out.
19:03They don't want this.
19:05The people in this country don't want this.
19:10And my message to you is that Democrats are standing up.
19:14We're doing everything we can to protect you, your family, and your kids,
19:20and the right for safety, justice, and your right to pursue the American dream.
19:27Texans and all Americans deserve better.
19:30And I yield back to my colleague, Rep Ramirez.
19:33Thank you, Congresswoman.
19:35You're absolutely right.
19:36Our constituents deserve better.
19:38So, I want to talk a little bit about what is at stake.
19:47You've heard already my colleagues talk about Medicaid.
19:51You've heard them talk about Social Security.
19:54You've heard them talk about how their constituents are living in constant fear.
19:59Well, I want to talk to you about community health centers,
20:02which also are incorporated in the Medicaid funding
20:05that my colleagues, the Republicans, want to slash.
20:09And I want to start by saying to you unapologetically and very loudly
20:13that I believe to my core that health care is a human right.
20:19No one should have to choose between getting the care they need,
20:23accessing their medication, or paying their mortgage.
20:28But I can tell you from personal experience,
20:31growing up in a family where their insurance company,
20:35the insurance company they pay into,
20:37constantly makes it difficult for them to be able to get health care.
20:41Knowing that my mom and dad have had to choose often,
20:46do they get the medication, or do they pay for the mortgage?
20:51You see, my parents worked their lives in this country.
20:57And my father today has Medicare.
21:00And my mother, up until a year ago, had Medicaid because, unfortunately,
21:06the wages that she worked were not large enough, were not equitable enough.
21:11They weren't living wages.
21:12But the Medicaid system that we have, that we know isn't working for everyone,
21:18that we should be expanding, not cutting,
21:20made it difficult for my mom to continue to get Medicaid.
21:23And so I think about the challenges and the struggles
21:28that so many American people are living here.
21:32And I'll tell you that in the short tenure,
21:35we have seen that this administration has not talked about making Medicaid better.
21:40What they're talking about is cutting Medicaid.
21:44What they're talking about is announcing executive orders
21:47that target immigrants and the social service providers
21:50that work in strong immigrant communities.
21:53Immigrants that, by the way, pay into Medicaid that they never get.
21:58What they're doing is undermining local governments and local agencies
22:02who know best what their communities need.
22:05You see, community health centers exist to serve an entire community,
22:10regardless of their income, regardless of insurance status,
22:13and regardless of immigration status.
22:15And many of the services they provide, like emergency care,
22:20like vaccinations, and public health outreach, serve the public good.
22:26Providing these services broadly in our communities keep us all healthy.
22:32Community health centers also make a profound economic impact on our communities,
22:37creating job creation, not taking jobs like this administration is doing,
22:41over 340,000 jobs, and generating $118.4 billion in local economic activity.
22:52But Republicans have chosen to defund health care
22:55so that they can provide their billionaire bosses with more tax breaks.
23:00They want you to go without health care so that the top 1% of Americans
23:07can get a $314,000 tax cut.
23:13Let me say that again.
23:15They don't think that you deserve health care.
23:17They want to take your health care away, frankly, let you die,
23:21so that their billionaire bosses can get $314,000 in tax cuts.
23:28That's what they want to do.
23:30They claim to care for working people in our economy,
23:33but their actions show us just how terrible and in-your-face their hypocrisy really is.
23:40There are no other words for those who knowingly would put tax benefits
23:43for the wealthiest Americans over the working families
23:46who depend on Medicaid for their basic health care.
23:49You see, in Illinois, 772,233 adults are enrolled in the ACA Medicaid expansion.
23:58If Republicans cut Medicaid, these constituents would lose their health care.
24:05We have the obligation to remain defiant in our position
24:10that everyone independent of citizenship status, zip code, or age
24:15has a right to a dignified, healthy life.
24:19And now is the moment to remain united in our commitment to health care for all,
24:25courageous in our resistance,
24:27and undeterred in our fight against this administration's authoritarian agenda.
24:32And I want to talk to you about immigrants
24:34because apparently my colleagues here do everything they possibly can
24:40to vilify them every single day.
24:43It's almost as if they forgot that their grandparents also crossed borders and shores to get here.
24:51But let me say to you, you may have forgotten your roots.
24:54You may have forgotten that your parents or your grandparents
24:57or your great-grandparents were immigrants, but I haven't.
25:00I am the proud daughter of Guatemalan immigrants,
25:04the wife of Boris, who until recently was a DACA recipient.
25:08And I am the niece of a man who has contributed to this country
25:12and paid taxes for more than 30 years and put four boys through college.
25:18This body considers, once again, a budget that leaves working people behind.
25:24And I want to, for a moment, talk about immigration and our economy
25:28because what these colleagues of mine, the Republicans, will tell you
25:33is that immigrants are taking from the American people.
25:38Immigrants are taking your jobs.
25:40Immigrants are taking your housing.
25:42They're taking, taking, taking.
25:43So let me clarify facts here.
25:47The reality is that Republicans are pushing for a billionaire budget
25:51that gives $4.5 billion in tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy,
25:57like, you know, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos,
26:00while cutting trillions of dollars in programs like Medicaid and SNAP.
26:06That's not immigrants doing that.
26:07That is Republicans doing that.
26:09And Republicans have the audacity to tell us
26:12that they are doing all these cuts because we are broke.
26:15Well, folks, like I said to Chairman Green and Homeland,
26:19we wouldn't be broke if the ultra-wealthy would pay their fair share.
26:23Fair taxing could fund a budget that centers working families.
26:27It could fix our tax system.
26:29It could create opportunity for policies that work for working people.
26:33And let me also say to you,
26:35immigration reform could unleash the full economic power
26:40of our immigrant communities to fully participate in a fair tax system.
26:44You see, undocumented immigrants paid $96.7 billion
26:50in state, local, and federal taxes in 2022.
26:55$96.7 billion.
26:57That's what they paid.
26:58On top of that, undocumented immigrants pay an average rate of 5.27%
27:03in federal taxes.
27:04That's higher than most of the United States' wealthiest billionaires
27:07or megacorporations.
27:09And yet, while Republicans give another billion-dollar company
27:12another tax break,
27:13they're telling us that it's immigrants
27:15who are taking from the community and from the people.
27:18Well, that's a lie.
27:20It's a lie because we understand that 23.6% of all entrepreneurs are immigrants.
27:27Some undocumented, some are legal permanent residents,
27:30and some are naturalized citizens.
27:32$1.7 trillion in spending power
27:35is what immigrants bring to this economy.
27:38So every time they tell you that immigrants are taking from us,
27:43let me be very clear.
27:45Immigrants contribute every single day.
27:48As I'm wrapping up,
27:49I want to say that there are many reasons to be concerned.
27:53But it's also important to remember that there are reasons to celebrate.
27:57So I want to take a moment to recognize a reason to celebrate.
28:01Mr. Speaker,
28:02I rise today to commemorate the 111th anniversary of the village of Elmwood Park
28:08and to celebrate the 25,500 Illinois 3rd Congressional District constituents
28:14who call this village home.
28:16Elmwood Park is a wonderful place to live,
28:19to shop,
28:19and to do business.
28:21They have built unique intergovernmental and cross-sector partnerships.
28:24And I am proud that our commitment and collaboration
28:27with President Saviano,
28:29the village manager of Volpe,
28:30and Senator Durbin in Duckworth
28:32have secured $13.1 million
28:34for a transformative project
28:36that included great crossing improvements
28:39to enhance resident safety in Elmwood Park.
28:41I want to thank all the hardworking employees of the village
28:44whose public service enables residents
28:47to access critical services and programs.
28:50And I remain committed to continue to deliver
28:53the resources our communities need
28:55to improve public safety,
28:57create well-paying jobs,
28:58and expand economic opportunity
29:00for Elmwood Park
29:01and across Illinois' 3rd Congressional District.
29:04Congratulations, Elmwood Park,
29:07for these 111 years of community.
29:10I look forward to many more years of partnership
29:12and to continue to fight in the halls of Congress
29:15for every constituent in my district.
29:19With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back.