Murphy: Trump Is Allowing Children To Go Hungry To Protect Billionaires' Tax Cuts

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) today joined Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) in a press conference to hammer the Trump administration's refusal to use a $5 billion emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) fund to prevent 42 million Americans, including 1 in 10 Connecticut residents, from going hungry.

During the press conference, Murphy left no doubt as to why Donald Trump is allowing this crisis to unfold, despite having a mandate to stop it: "Donald Trump and Republicans have one priority, and one priority only - that is the enrichment of their billionaire and corporate friends at the expense of everyone else. Their 'beautiful bill' is a simple enterprise: the most massive transfer of wealth for the poor and the middle class to the rich and affluent in the history of the country. Included in that big beautiful bill, is a massive cut to nutrition benefits."

He continued: "It is extraordinary to put families in this country through the horrific, mind-altering pain of knowing that your children are going to go to bed hungry at night, but it's in service of protecting tax cuts for the wealthy."

Murphy emphasized that Trump is inflicting unprecedented suffering on American families for one reason: "No president in the history of this country has, during a period of shutdown, refused to spend the contingency funds because no president prior to this one was so myopic about helping only one small segment of people in this country: the very rich and powerful…"

A video of Senator Murphy's remarks during today's press conference is available HERE.