00:00Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Ranking Member Craig, you're recognized.
00:05Thank you so much, Chairwoman Fox and Ranking Member McGovern.
00:09The more the American people learn about this big, ugly bill, and it's nearly $200 billion in cuts to food assistance, the less they like it.
00:19I honestly don't know how a single one of my colleagues could vote for this bill.
00:2417 million Americans lose their health insurance or lose their health care.
00:30Millions and millions of people across our country are going to lose access to food assistance.
00:38You know, most Americans don't even know this yet in our country, but I promise you they will.
00:44A recent Fox News poll found that 59% of voters oppose this bill.
00:49The American people are not buying what the Republicans are selling, even on Fox News.
00:55The American people, like House Democrats, want to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse.
01:01This bill doesn't reduce waste, fraud, or abuse.
01:04It gives government-sponsored tax breaks to the wealthiest among us, and you pay for it by taking food and health care away from seniors, children, veterans, and people with disabilities.
01:15And it isn't even paid for it.
01:16It adds nearly $4 trillion to the national debt.
01:23So much for fiscal responsibility here.
01:26The American people, including Minnesotans, know the cost of living is too high.
01:30This bill does not lower the cost of living.
01:33It makes meeting the basic needs like groceries and accessing medical care more expensive.
01:38I promise you this bill will raise health care costs for everyone.
01:45The American people want efficient and effective governance.
01:48This bill doesn't do anything to improve good governance.
01:51It makes it worse by pushing billions in new expenses onto state and county governments,
01:58forcing our state and local governments into a position where they have to decide between taking food away from their friends and neighbors
02:06or slashing other local services or raising taxes.
02:11And I mean that.
02:12In 10 states across this country, folks are going to have to look at raising county taxes in order to pay for the administration
02:21and perhaps even the benefit of cutting food assistance.
02:25In Minnesota alone, where the burden for snap cuts will fall to the counties,
02:30the Association of Minnesota Counties projects, they'll have to raise property taxes by an average of more than 5% to pay for it
02:38and by even more in some counties.
02:41Many of you sitting here today do not even know the effect that this bill will have on your counties.
02:49Republicans have managed to do almost the impossible.
02:51Miraculously, you've created a bill that takes food and health care away from millions of Americans
02:57in a way that does not save taxpayer dollars but instead adds trillions of dollars to the national debt.
03:05Minnesotans and Americans in every corner of this country are asking,
03:09how is any of this actually possible?
03:11It's simple.
03:13You've picked tax breaks for large corporations and ultra-wealthy people in our country over hard-working families.
03:20Republicans are selling the American people down the river.
03:25This bill sells out our farmers and the families they feed.
03:29Of course we need all the elements of a farm bill.
03:33Mr. Chairman talked about the elements in this bill.
03:37We should be doing this in a farm bill, a full five-year farm bill with 12 bipartisan titles.
03:44It sells out the hopes and dreams of millions of Americans struggling to keep food on the table.
03:49It sells out more than 300 rural hospitals that are at risk of closing due to Medicaid cuts.
03:56It also cuts hundreds of billions of dollars from SNAP, our most effective anti-hunger program,
04:02by taking $6 a day out of the pockets of vulnerable seniors, veterans, children, and people with disabilities,
04:09and putting that money back into the pockets of billionaires.
04:14Taking food away from the people who need it forces seniors to choose between having a meal and paying for medicine.
04:21And let me just say this, because we were in committee for over 20 hours.
04:26And over and over I heard my Republican colleagues talking about that this activity would not cut access to veterans' nutrition benefits.
04:37This is exactly what the Senate version does.
04:40And most of you, many of you, don't even know what this version says.
04:43We had one hour to come into this room.
04:46Many veterans, as we know, suffer from behavioral or physical health issues connected to their service.
04:52One in three working-age veterans with disabilities aren't sure where their next meal will come from.
04:58One in four working-age veterans who can't find work are food insecure.
05:05Our veterans can't pay for meals with Support the Troops bumper stickers.
05:10And they can't eat thoughts and prayers.
05:12And it doesn't stop there.
05:13This bill takes food away from former foster youth, leaving the foster care system,
05:19who may not have the same level of support from families that many of us benefited from
05:24when we were just starting to make our way in the world as 18- or 19-year-olds.
05:29I just don't understand where these values are coming from.
05:32The American people are right not to trust this bill.
05:36The bill doesn't save us a cent.
05:37It adds to the debt.
05:39If passed, it will pass millions and millions along to the nation.
05:46This bill was a disgrace when it left this chamber.
05:49Most of you haven't read it to know that it's even more of a disgrace now that it's back.
05:55And, folks, this is one of the worst mistakes anyone who votes yes for will make in your political career.
