U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Alabama, on Tuesday provided the following opening remarks during the House Ways and Means Committee’s markup of President Trump’s tax bill.
“The legislation provides more than $4 trillion in tax giveaways to the wealthy while slashing $715 billion from Medicaid and $290 billion from SNAP,” Sewell’s release said.
Rep. Sewell began, “My colleagues, let’s be honest about why we are here today. We are here because—according to President Trump, Elon Musk, and Republicans in Congress—the wealthiest individuals and the largest corporations in our country are not wealthy enough.
“This committee could be working to help Americans deal with the high cost of living. We could be working to make healthcare more accessible and more affordable. We could be working to strengthen Social Security. And of course, we could be working to support our small businesses who are reeling from President Trump’s reckless tariffs.
“But what we’re doing instead? At the direction of President Trump, we are marking up a bill that would give $4 trillion worth of tax giveaways to the wealthy, the well-connected, and the well-off.
“And how are we going to pay for it? Not by reducing the billions of dollars we spend to subsidize the oil industry.
“No. Instead, my Republican colleagues would rather kick 14 million Americans off their health care, cut off food stamps and food assistance for hungry families, and bankrupt our small businesses because of this tariff war.
“It’s outrageous and it’s unacceptable.
“In my home state of Alabama, half of all births are covered by Medicaid, and more than half of the Medicaid recipients in Alabama are children. 60 percent of the nursing homes in Alabama have Medicaid beneficiaries.
“So, let’s be clear. The face of Medicaid are our children, our seniors, and the disabled. When our Republican colleagues cut $715 billion from Medicaid, it is our children, our seniors, and the disabled who will pay the price.
“Mr. Chairman, these cuts are about more than just statistics. They are about lives and livelihoods. Real people will be impacted by the actions that we take.
“Last Friday, I had the chance to meet one of my constituents, LaToya Mims. LaToya’s beautiful 6-year-old daughter Harper has cerebral palsy. She is one of the 3 million American children living with disabilities.
“It was because of Medicaid that Harper is able to live at home with her family surrounded by her loved ones. Without it, she would be forced into an institution.
“To strip children like Harper of their health care in order to cut taxes for Trump’s billionaire friends is an outrageous betrayal of our American values. It’s shameful.
“Everyone on this committee has a Harper in their district. Everyone on this committee represents tens of thousands of Americans who rely on Medicaid to make ends meet. We should be standing up for them instead of ripping the rug out from under them.
“The people that I represent are good and honest Americans. They work hard every day. They make enormous sacrifices to support themselves and their families. But they are hurting. They are being crushed by the high cost of living, and many are living paycheck to paycheck.
“What are my constituents to do to make Donald Trump care about protecting their health care? They can’t afford to bribe him by funneling millions of dollars into crypto scheme. They can’t afford to buy him another jet.
“The American people sent us here to speak up for their needs, not to do the bidding for the billionaire class. As members of this committee, we have the opportunity to build an economy that works for all Americans, but we are failing them.
“My constituents deserve to have a voice in this democracy, and I will fight each and every day to provide them with that voice.
“This is a sad day on this committee. A sad day for Congress. A sad day for the American people.
“I am a hard NO on this bill. Actually, I’m a HELL NO on this bill.
“I will continue to fight to make sure that those who are the most vulnerable in our society get a voice. We have to speak up and speak out for the least of these.
“I will continue to do that, and I ask that my colleagues do the same.
“Thank you, and I yield back the balance of my time,” Congresswoman Sewell concluded.
A video of her remarks made to the committee on Tuesday can be seen here.
