Leader Schumer Floor Remarks Denouncing Republicans’ “Big, Beautiful Bill” For Gutting Funding For SNAP, The Most Effective Anti-Hunger Program In America

Washington, D.C. – Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor to denounce Republicans’ “Big, Beautiful Bill” which would eviscerate vital funding to SNAP, making it the largest cut to food assistance in American history. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:

The Republicans’ so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill” is one the most heinous, callous, and cruel proposals we’ve ever seen.

Republicans don’t just want to axe health care for 14 million Americans, which is going to mean higher costs for even many more millions of Americans. They also want massive cuts to SNAP – the largest, most effective anti-hunger program in America.

Republicans want to cut SNAP benefits by as much as $310 billion, the largest cuts to anti-hunger funding in history.

That would mean the average person on SNAP would be left with just five dollars a day for food. That is morally bankrupt. Five dollars a day for food, when a dozen eggs alone cost more than that.

Republicans are literally stealing food away from hungry kids, from seniors, from veterans to finance tax breaks for the ultra-rich. Give me a break. This is cruel. This is mean, heartless, and counterproductive.

A hungry child can't learn and often grows up to have a life that is not as productive as others who are fed.

The Republicans’ cuts to SNAP would cut 6 million Americans off from food.

It would reduce food benefits for 5 million more Americans.

4 million children – 4 million children – will go to bed hungry because of this cruelty, all to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. Isn't it incredible?

I'd even like to ask these billionaires – who are so hellbent on reducing their own taxes – if they're happy taking money away from hungry children and not feeding them?

11 million people will go hungry under the Republicans’ bill. This is the biggest cut to food assistance in American history.

That’s the Republicans’ idea of “beautiful?” Taking food from the mouths of hungry kids? All for tax breaks for billionaires? It's not beautiful. It's ugly, very ugly.

Republicans will continue to defend their SNAP cuts as reducing fraud, waste, and abuse.

So I ask our Republican friends this: which category does a hungry 7 year old fall under: are they waste? Are they fraud? Or are they abuse?

What Republicans are really doing is increasing hunger, increasing poverty, increasing costs for states and families, lowering the productive lives that our future adult citizens can have, all to increase the wealth of the ultra-rich.

It is shameful. It is sad.

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