Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries held a press availability with Bishop William J. Barber, II, Members of Congress, faith leaders from across the country and everyday Americans. The press availability followed a sit-down conversation that included testimony on the impacts of the morally catastrophic healthcare crisis and weaponization of hunger that Donald Trump and Republicans are unleashing on the American people.

"In America, poverty is not a choice that people are making. It's a result of policy violence being visited upon everyday Americans. Fighting for the healthcare of everyday Americans, for the poor, the sick and the afflicted, for the least, the lost and the left-behind is not a partisan issue. It's a moral issue. House Democrats will continue to stand on the side of the American people. I'm thankful for the moral leadership, the moral clarity and the inspirational wisdom and vision that these faith leaders have brought to this issue and to this fight for the American people," said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08).

"Repairers of the Breach has coordinated Moral Mondays across the South and other states, bringing together religious leaders and poor, low-wage, and impacted people to insist that the needs of vulnerable Americans are moral issues. We are calling on Congressional leadership to defend human rights and the Constitution by promoting the general welfare in this moment of crisis for the most vulnerable. You cannot put your hand on the Bible, swear to uphold the Constitution, and then sit back and watch while millions lose healthcare and go hungry. It is simply wrong for politicians who receive free healthcare to strip it away from 16 million Americans. This is not a matter of left versus right, but of right versus wrong. Clergy must speak up, stand up, and refuse to back away from nonviolent resistance to this policy violence," said Bishop William J. Barber, II.

"To serve the people, you have to love the people. You can't truly serve the people if you don't love them enough to fight for their health care, to make sure no family goes hungry, and to ensure that everyone has a safe place to call home. I'm grateful for Leader Jeffries' commitment to protecting the vulnerable, and to incredible allies like Rev. Barber for emphasizing the moral reckoning that Republicans are failing to heed," said Rep. Steven Horsford (NV-04).

"Cuts to Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act subsidies, and SNAP are not just policy shifts-they are attacks on the poor, the elderly, the sick, and the working families of this nation. We have a moral obligation to stand up and demand that every person, no matter their income or ZIP code, has access to healthcare, food, and the basic necessities," said Rev. Dr. Hanna R. Broome.

Four hardworking Americans, Chris Shumake, Cassie Coleman, Pam Garrison and Elaina Hurley, shared how their lives would be devastated by Republican cuts to SNAP, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. Excerpts from their testimony are included below:

"I suffer from chronic health issues. One, I'm on life-sustaining medicine, a blood thinner. Without it, I'm a walking time bomb. I can drop the hat at any moment without any warning, from what put me on the blood thinners to begin with, which was a pulmonary embolism, which is where a clot shoots your heart and lodges itself in your lung. My Medicaid was cut-excuse me-I was robbed of my Medicaid. I didn't lose it, because if I did, I'd be able to go out here and find it. So I was robbed of my Medicaid. I spent months playing Russian roulette, some days having my medicine and some days not. I need this medicine to live. Not only have I been robbed of my Medicaid. I most recently was told in the state of West Virginia that we no longer pay my Part B premium, leaving me with costs that I can't afford. My cash benefit income is $640 a month. That's what I get. So I thirst for a moral budget that will serve the needs of all people. Please open the government back up. We need help. I'm tired of living in pain. And no one should have to live this way," said Elaina Hurley of Raleigh County, WV.

"I rely on SNAP benefits and Medicaid just to make it. We did have a hospital, but it closed down a couple of years ago. And then, here recently, our urgent care has closed down, too. Now we don't have nothing close by. If something was to happen, we'd have to go at least 30 minutes away just to get help. Even if you call 911, that's still, that's 30 minutes away. You really can't get much done with that," said Chris Shumake of Alexander County, NC.

"I work at two small local businesses, and neither of them provides healthcare. If we don't extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies, the tax credits for people like me, we'll go without health insurance," said Cassie Coleman of Greenville County, SC.

"I've been a minimum wage worker in my whole life. I feel like my government is attacking their own people. We make $7.25 an hour. We've went 16, heading toward 20 years with no living wage. Then the programs that would help make up for that, the healthcare and food stamps, the SNAP programs, they want to take them. I feel like we're under attack," said Pam Garrison of Fayette County, WV.

Full video of today's press availability can be watched here.

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