Velázquez Slams Passage of GOP Reconciliation Bill

WASHINGTON- Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) released the following statement after House Republicans passed their reconciliation bill during the early hours of the morning:

"Republicans waited until the middle of the night to advance this bill because they know how deeply unpopular it is. While families were sleeping, they pushed through a cruel package that gives tax breaks to the wealthy and strips away support from the people who need it most. Simply put, this bill is a betrayal of working families.

"According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, nearly 14 million Americans would lose their health insurance under this bill. Millions more would see their costs go up. In New York alone, millions would lose coverage and $13.5 billion would be ripped from our health care system.

"And it gets worse. This bill makes the largest cut to food assistance in our nation's history. It would take meals off the tables of families already struggling to get by. New estimates show it could eliminate school meals for more than 18 million children. That is shameful.

"We should be expanding health care, not cutting it. We should be making sure no child goes hungry, not passing laws to take away their lunch. And we should be helping small businesses, not tipping the scales even further in favor of large corporations.

"This bill is a disgrace. I will do everything in my power to ensure it does not become law."

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