VIDEO: Senate Republicans Block Rosen Attempts to Redirect Trump Slush Fund to Support SNAP, Medicaid, and Law Enforcement

Watch Senator Rosen's Full Remarks HERE.

WASHINGTON D.C. - Today, U.S. Senate Republicans blocked multiple attempts by Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) to pass her bills to redirect federal funding from Donald Trump's slush fund toward SNAP, Medicaid, and law enforcement programs. While Donald Trump's Department of Justice claims it will not pursue this fund anymore, Senate Republicans have refused to outlaw the fund - leaving the door open for Trump to revive the slush fund in the future.

Senator Rosen continues to fight against all reckless spending by the Trump Administration on vanity projects. In June, she successfully helped block a Republican proposal to funnel $1 billion in taxpayer money for Trump's White House ballroom. Additionally, the Office of Senator Rosen has released various reports on how taxpayer money for the ballroom could be better used to support Nevadans and law enforcement.

Below is a Full Transcript of Senator Rosen's Floor Speech:

At a time when hardworking families across this country are being squeezed by skyrocketing costs, you would think the President of the United States and Washington Republicans would be focused on finding ways to help people afford their groceries, access affordable health care, and keep communities safe.

In fact, that is what Donald Trump himself ran on. He promised he would lower costs on "Day One." That's a quote. On "Day One."

Instead, now that he is in office, Trump is completely fixated on his corrupt slush fund where he would give your tax dollars - your tax dollars to his political allies.

So, how did we get here?

Donald Trump sued his own IRS and Treasury Department to try and get ten billion dollars - your tax dollars - for himself.

But then, of course, he was so kind that he agreed to drop his lawsuit against his own government, our government, as long as it set up a slush fund of $1.8 billion to pay out his allies, supporters, and even January 6 rioters who assaulted police officers.

Understandably, the American people strongly opposed this corrupt attempt to misuse their tax dollars, so the Justice Department had to come out and claim that the fund is dead.

But Donald Trump has made it perfectly clear that he still wants this slush fund to move forward so he can pay January 6 rioters who beat up police officers at the United States Capitol on January 6th - I was here. And frankly, I don't trust his cronies to put an end to it.

It's unbelievable! Whether it's a billion dollars for a ballroom, or $1.8 billion for a slush fund, Trump is focused on himself, not on the hardships of our communities - your communities, our families, not on the hardships people are facing…

Our families are struggling to put food on the table.

Our families are worried about losing their health care.

Our police departments are struggling with staffing shortages.

That's why Congress has a responsibility to put an end to this wasteful slush fund once and for all.

So I've introduced a package of three bills that would make sure this slush fund can never happen, and would instead redirect that $1.8 billion to programs that actually help hardworking families and keep our communities safe.

My first bill would permanently block this slush fund from being created and if the Trump Administration still moves ahead with it, it would direct the funding to SNAP, the food assistance program that Washington Republicans gutted to pay for their "One Big Beautiful Bill."

In Nevada alone, nearly 55,000 people lost SNAP benefits between July of last year and January of this year.

And as a reminder 40% of SNAP recipients in Nevada are children. Children are going hungry because of Trump's cuts to [give] to billionaires.

This means nearly 55,000 Nevadans now have to worry about how they're going to afford groceries at a time when groceries and gas prices - they're just going through the literal roof.

Now imagine how many families $1.8 billion could help feed. Imagine how many parents could feed their children with that kind of money, instead of paying January 6th rioters and Trump's allies.

And in my state that kind of money could restore SNAP benefits for all 55,000 Nevadans - 55,000 Nevadans who lost their benefits for more than 15 years. I could feed those families for 15 years.

So, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged and the Senate now proceed to immediate consideration of S.4705. Further I ask that the bill be considered read a third time and passed, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

[Following a Republican Objection]

[If] my Republican colleagues want to make prices lower, they can start by removing tariffs and not entering into unnecessary wars. But I want to get back to the issue at hand, which is this slush fund - this slush fund, if it's truly dead like some say, then why not pass my bill? Why not make sure that it's gone for good? What are Republicans afraid of?

And so, if feeding hungry children isn't Washington Republicans' priority, here's another chance for them to do the right thing for our families.

Because last year, Washington Republicans gutted Medicaid and took health care coverage from millions of Americans in need so that they could give more tax breaks to billionaires, people who need it the least…they gutted health care for families to give tax breaks to billionaires.

And as of January of this year, nearly 170,000 fewer Nevadans were enrolled in Medicaid compared to 2023.

That means fewer people seeing a doctor.

Fewer people getting preventive care.

Fewer people being able to afford the treatment or the medication that they need. Fewer people getting the care they need for their children when they are chronically or terminally ill. It is cruel.

And the money Trump wants for his slush fund could pay for more than two years of Medicaid coverage for every Nevadan who lost it because of these Republican cuts for payouts to billionaires.

So, instead of rewarding Trump's political allies, we could help families get health care, because nothing is more important than your health - nothing.

A diagnosis can change your life in an instant, and I want people to be able to afford their prescriptions.

I want people to be able to take their children to see a doctor. A diagnosis changes your life and they took away healthcare.

And so a much better use of taxpayer dollars, that's what I want to do. I want to put it back [toward] those Nevada families who are struggling with those life-altering diagnoses that we are all so very afraid of. And that's what my second bill aims to do.

It will permanently block this slush fund from being created and, if the Trump Administration finds a way to move ahead with it, my bill would redirect the $1.8 billion to Medicaid.

To help those mothers that I talked to…those parents, again, with sick children…to help those taking care of their family members. It matters. It is caring. And what they're doing and what they did to cut Medicaid is cruel.

So, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged and the Senate now proceed to the immediate consideration of S.4703. Further I ask that the bill be considered read a third time and passed, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

[Following a Republican Objection]

That objection is truly a shame because people will suffer…and people will be damaged by poor health…and some may even lose their life from lack of care.

So, my Washington Republican friends won't agree on funding SNAP and feeding those hungry children in Nevada for 15 or so years, funding Medicaid to help families, again. Perhaps we could agree on getting this funding to the men and women of law enforcement.

Surely, they must stand up for law enforcement and for public safety and for community safety… because across America, our police departments are facing staffing shortages, recruitment challenges, retention issues. Officers are being asked to do more with fewer resources.

So, the money from Trump's slush fund could fund more than three years of the COPS Hiring Program to help communities hire and retain more officers.

It could fully fund more than three years of the Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program.

What is this program? It helps support the families of officers who are killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty. Nothing could be more important than supporting those families. Surely Republicans want to help families of fallen or disabled officers.

And so the irony here is almost hard to believe - Republicans love to talk about how supportive they are of law enforcement, and yet Donald Trump wants to use your tax dollars to pay people who assaulted police officers right here in this Capitol, in this room, in this chamber, where we stand today, on January 6th.

I think and I hope, surely we can all agree, that the funding would be put to better use to support our men and women in uniform, our police officers.

So my third and final bill would permanently block this slush fund from being created and, if the Trump Administration still forges ahead with it, my bill would redirect the funding to federal law enforcement programs.

So, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged and that the Senate now proceed to immediate consideration of S.4704. Further I ask consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

[Following a Republican Objection]

This is truly a shame. It's extremely disappointing to me. Because by blocking these bills, Washington Republicans are paying tribute to their President and they're saying they approve of Donald Trump wasting $1.8 billion taxpayer dollars to pay his political allies and January 6th rioters.

They may claim that the slush fund is dead because Trump and his Administration say it is. But does anybody believe them?

I would say not too many.

And so, that's why I tried to pass these bills and create a fail-safe mechanism to redirect the funding to food, to health care, to public safety.

If Trump still tried to create this slush fund, we have a way to put it towards something good for our communities.

Unfortunately, Washington Republicans blocked these commonsense efforts.

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