Congresswoman Brown: Republicans’ Budget is Cruel, Calculated, and Devastating for Families

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Shontel Brown joined House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar and Vice Chair Ted Lieu and Representatives Kim Schrier, M.D. for a press conference about the Republican Budget, which kicks millions of Americans off their health insurance and prevents families from meeting their basic needs.

Last week, during Agriculture Committee markup, Brown spoke about her personal experience relying on food stamps as a child. (Youtube)

Congresswoman Brown’s Remarks as Delivered (Youtube):

Thank you, doctor. Good morning, everyone. I'm Congresswoman Shontel Brown, Vice Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee and representing Ohio's 11th Congressional District. 

I'm honored to be here along with Chair Aguilar, Vice Chair Lieu and Congresswoman Schrier. Last week, we saw this legislation up close in the Agriculture Committee, and Ranking Member Craig and my Democratic colleagues on Agriculture fought this legislation for two days. I didn't just read the bill, 

I felt it. I felt the cruelty. I felt the callousness. And let me tell you, I was angry. I am still angry. $300 billion in cuts. Let me repeat that: $300 billion in cruel, calculated cuts to nutrition programs. 

And on top of that, onerous new restrictions and requirements that are designed to deny people the help they need. If this bill passes, millions—yes, millions—of Americans are going to lose nutrition benefits they desperately need. And for what? The biggest cut to food assistance in history, just to hand millionaires a $68,000 tax break, and the top .1 percent a staggering $300,000?

Let me tell you what this means for my community.

One in five. One in five households in my district in Northeast Ohio rely on SNAP. That’s not some statistic from somewhere. That's my neighbors, that's my family. Those are my church members. It is me. 

Because growing up, I was one of those households. And the issue of work requirements really hits home for me, literally. I had epilepsy growing up. I had petit mal seizures and my mother—my strong, brave, exhausted mother—couldn't work, not because she didn't want to, but because she couldn't leave her child who might collapse at any moment. 

My mom didn't want to be on food stamps. No parent wants that, but we needed it. And this bill, this bill, would have denied us that lifeline. We're taking assistance away from people that need it to give those resources to people that don't.

Make no mistake, this is not fiscal responsibility. This is not belt-tightening. This is a giveaway. People who rely on SNAP, they're not leading easy lives. They're caregivers. They have people at home with disabilities and serious illnesses, children. 

And these folks are not hard to find. I had one woman contact me, Cheryl from Cleveland Heights. She's retired. Her husband is disabled. Her father is 92 years old and he's disabled. She worked in advertising for 25 years. 

Now, she's got a house full of people to take care of, and they rely on SNAP. This bill punishes Cheryl and people like her. It takes away the basic benefits they need to survive, all to pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest among us. 

And make no mistake, this bill will make us sicker. This bill will make us poorer. This bill will make us weaker. So it is my privilege to stand here with my colleagues and fight this bill. We cannot let this pass. 
 

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