Cassidy Delivers Speech Calling for End to Schumer Shutdown as SNAP Benefits Hang in the Balance

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) delivered a speech on the U.S. Senate floor slamming Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer for the negative effects of the Schumer Shutdown, including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits running out, leaving nearly 800,000 Louisianans without critical food assistance beginning November 1st.

"SNAP can be the difference between a child having a full belly and that same child asking their mother when is the next time they will eat a meal," said Dr. Cassidy.

"If Democrats are interested in lowering health care costs as they say they are, then reopen the government, pay our troops, and stop taking food from our children," continued Dr. Cassidy.

Cassidy's remarks as prepared for delivery are below:

Mr. President,

The government has been shut down for nearly a month.

It's the longest full government shutdown in American history.

And it all began with the Democrat Leader's desire to play politics with people's lives and paychecks.

Americans-including those in Louisiana-are paying the price.

Nationwide, 1.4 million federal employees, many living paycheck to paycheck, are furloughed or working without pay.

13,000 air traffic controllers have already missed one paycheck and will miss another soon.

SNAP-or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-benefits will run out on November 1st in many states like Louisiana-that's just two days away.

In my state alone, that's eight hundred and four thousand individuals, including three hundred and twelve thousand children who rely on SNAP.

This isn't some abstract ideological issue. We're literally talking about food on the table.

SNAP can be the difference between a child having a full belly and that same child asking their mother when is the next time they will eat a meal.

Republicans are working to extend it-I am on a bill to fund SNAP.

But it looks like we don't have the Democratic support to pass it.

Mr. President, that's a lot of empty dinner tables-and a lot of children going to bed hungry.

Democrats have voted against reopening our government 13 times since.

13 times they have voted to take food out of children's mouths and send families to the food banks instead.

I'm told that food banks will not be able to keep up. Federal workers, single parents with young kids-walking into empty food banks.

This is coming from a party that regularly claims that they are the party of children, families, and vulnerable communities.

Republicans and the Trump administration are working hard to mitigate the worst parts of this shutdown.

President Trump found the money to pay our troops.

Senate Republicans voted for a bill to pay all federal employees, including our air traffic controllers, who are working without pay right now.

Democrats blocked it. They are the party of "NO" right now, and the bizarre part is, no one could figure out why.

Until one of their leaders said the quiet part out loud.

The House Democratic Whip acknowledged Democrats are allowing people to suffer because a shutdown: "…is one of the few leverage times we have."

This is the second-highest-ranking House Democrat openly confirming that working families are being used as political leverage.

This is all about politics, not what's best for the country.

Now they will tell you it's about health care, but again their position crumbles under scrutiny.

If it were about health care costs, why would they make people suffer more in order to change health care policy rather than reopen the government and negotiate with Republicans on solutions which actually lower health care costs?

Republicans have repeatedly said we will negotiate how to lower health care costs, just not while Americans suffer.

Our position is clear: End the shutdown, and then let's talk about health care.

Seems reasonable. You might ask why they are still voting against reopening the government.

It's because they know their proposals on health care won't actually lower health care costs!

Under Democrats' current plan, premiums will still go up next year.

Not to mention their proposed solution is just aimed at papering over the mess that Obamacare created, because the facts are clear: the Affordable Care Act did not make care affordable.

All of this seems one elaborate attempt to save face.

Well, it's not working, and more importantly, Americans are suffering.

I repeat, REOPEN the government, then let's have a conversation about the areas in health care we can address to actually lower premium costs and out-of-pocket costs for middle-class Americans.

By the way, the Democrats' current plan will only affect the seven percent of people on Obamacare.

Their plan ignores ninety-three percent of Americans, who will also see costs go up. We need to help all Americans by fixing our health care system, not just papering over the failures of Obamacare to only help a few.

I'll add that for as much as they talk about health care, the Democrat's shutdown is defunding important health care programs. As Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, I led a bipartisan effort to protect Americans' access to affordable over-the-counter drugs.

The members of my committee worked together to reauthorize the Over-the-counter Monograph Drug User Fee Program, sometimes referred to as OMUFA, which funds the review process to bring over-the-counter drugs to market.

Because of Democrats, for the first time in history, a user fee program has expired, meaning patient access to new over-the-counter treatments for common ailments is in jeopardy.

I'm a doctor. I want to tackle the numerous issues facing our health care system.

I've spent my whole career fighting for patients. Let's have a conversation about lowering costs for all Americans-like those on Medicare, those with employer-sponsored insurance, and small business owners who provide insurance to their workers.

If Democrats are interested in lowering health care costs as they say they are, then reopen the government, pay our troops, and stop taking food from our children.

I'm tired of hearing people say there's no off-ramp or way out of this shutdown.

Here it is, that's the way forward.

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