Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On Republicans’ Harmful Rescissions Bill

Washington, D.C. – Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor to condemn Republicans’ continued obeisance to Donald Trump and to warn that the Republican-led rescissions package would devastate rural communities, weaken national security, and put partisan loyalty ahead of the American people’s wellbeing. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:

This week, Senate Republicans are set to push a bill through the Senate that betrays rural communities, harms global health, weakens America’s standing abroad, and—worst of all—sets the stage for even more harmful cuts down the line.

The so-called rescissions package continues a destructive Republican pattern: cut now, ask questions later.

Yesterday, Donald Trump threatened that anyone who voted against the full rescissions package that we have before us would face his wrath. What is going on here? Does anyone stand up to these horrible, horrible cuts that hurt the American people?

Republicans in real time are cutting health care. They’re cutting education. They’re cutting aid for our veterans? Ask them. Veterans know they're not getting the healthcare they used to.

And making things even worse, Donald Trump’s tariffs, are coming in at the worst possible time. In a few short months, they're going to raise the cost of groceries, they're going to hurt small businesses, and do untold damage to our economy.

And now, this package suffocates public broadcasting. Did they even know what would happen when they said they wanted to cut it?

You know, Donald Trump doesn't seem to like public broadcasting, no matter how much it helps our rural communities. It's the only place they can rely on for local news and for weather reports. Farmers across rural America depend on public broadcast to get weather reports, because there is no other way.

Do they know it guts international aid that ensures America's national security?

Did they even think of the consequences? Or is it just because Donald Trump says he wants it cut, even though everyone knows he doesn’t know the details of any of this stuff.

This rescissions package is certainly troubling, but the pattern behind it is even worse. It sets the stage for even more party-line devastating cuts for the future, to healthcare, education, anything Republicans decide they don’t like. All on a party line vote. All because of obeisance and fear of Donald Trump. Not a conviction that he's doing the right thing. This is a dark omen moving forward.

Our Republican friends say they fight for the middle class. They say they fight for working people. Then they turn around and take investments away from middle class America and rural America. I urge them not to proceed with the bill as written.

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