Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-06) released the following statement on the House passage of Republicans’ reconciliation bill.
“Why would anyone vote for this big bad bill? It is one of the most consequential, devastating, dangerous bills Congress has passed in recent history. It is going to rip health care away from 17 million people, make the biggest cuts to food assistance ever, and ensure the poorest Americans get poorer while the richest get even richer. People will die, children will go hungry, and working Americans will struggle even more to make ends meet, all so Republicans can give another tax break to billionaires. My Republican colleagues have betrayed and abandoned the vulnerable Americans who the government is supposed to serve. This is a complete and total failure. The American people know this is wrong, overwhelmingly disagree with it, and will not forget those who chose to vote for this cruelty.”
Nationwide, among many other provisions, this bill will:
Kick 17 million people off their health care and make premiums, deductibles, and copays soar for millions more: The bill cuts more than $1 trillion from health care, including the largest Medicaid cut ever, and will cause a $500 billion cut to Medicare. More than 50,000 people will die directly because of these cuts.
Cut services and risk closures for hospitals and nursing homes: Under the bill, as many as 300 hospitals, especially those in rural areas, will have to cut services and staff – if not close completely. One in four nursing homes are expected to close.
Make the largest cut to nutritional assistance ever: The bill cuts SNAP by 20 percent, while forcing states to cover more of SNAP’s cost – which could lead to dozens of states eliminating SNAP entirely. Red tape requirements will cause 5 million people to lose food assistance and put tens of millions of kids at risk of losing school breakfast and lunch.
Increase energy costs: The bill includes devastating cuts to cheap, clean energy sources including wind and solar that will cause families to pay an average of $400 more per year for their utilities. Seniors and low-income people will also have an even harder time getting assistance to pay their energy bills. And it makes us more dependent on foreign oil.
Kill more than a million jobs: The bill includes devastating cuts to clean energy will cost more than 840,000 jobs in just the next 5 years and an additional 790,000 jobs over the next 10 years.
Weaken our public schools and make higher education more expensive: The bill creates a permanent, unlimited tax credit for private school vouchers that undermine our public schools and attacks protections for student borrowers.
Make dangerous weapons cheaper: The bill eliminates taxes on silencers, short-barreled rifles, and short-barreled shotguns – which have been in place since 1934 – flooding our streets with more dangerous weapons and devices that make shootings deadlier.
Add $4 trillion to the debt: This includes $700 billion in interest payments alone. It will cause our debt to rise to as much as 128% of our GDP by 2034, threatening to bankrupt our country and mortgaging our children’s futures.
Does all of this to give almost a trillion dollars of tax cuts to the top 1%: This bill is a reverse Robin Hood — transferring money from the poorest to the wealthiest. People making over $1 million will have an average tax cut of at least $80,000 a year while the bottom 20% of families will see their taxes rise.
