Congresswoman Brown Votes Against Trump’s Big Ugly Bill

Washington, DC – On behalf of her constituents in Northeast Ohio, Congresswoman Shontel Brown (OH-11) voted against the Republican Reconciliation Bill – Trump’s Big Ugly Bill. The legislation passed the House in a 218-214 vote and now heads to the President’s desk, awaiting signature to become law. 

Leading up to the vote in the House, Congresswoman Brown submitted an amendment to reverse the bill’s harmful cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), spoke on the House floor, and joined colleagues from the Congressional Black Caucus in attempting to force an up/down vote on removing the cuts to Medicaid and SNAP from the bill. Last week, Brown published an op-ed in the Cleveland Plain Dealer opposing the bill. 

Congresswoman Brown releases the following statement: 

“This is a dark day for the country and a disgraceful moment for this Congress. Republicans have passed a cruel, reckless piece of legislation that rips basic food and health care benefits away from countless Americans and explodes our national debt – all to shovel more money to billionaires who need it the least. Republicans are quite literally lighting the social safety net on fire to keep the country club warm. 

“This bill will do more damage to more people than anything Congress has passed in modern history. Instead of lowering costs and helping people get ahead, Trump’s Agenda turns the American Dream into an American nightmare.

Millions of Americans will lose their health care or basic nutrition benefits, including tens of thousands of constituents I represent. Gone – all so a handful of the wealthiest Americans can walk away with another tax cut they will hardly notice.

“The Republicans didn’t defend this bill because they couldn’t. For months, they have dodged town halls, misled the public, and hidden the truth. They should have to look their constituents in the eye and explain why they chose wealthy families over working families. 

“My constituents have feared this day for months. Now they will be living with the consequences. I fought this bill every step of the way, and there is no way I am backing down now. I will keep fighting to reverse these cruel cuts until every Northeast Ohioan can see a doctor when they are sick and feed their family when they are hungry.”

Health Care Cuts

 

The Republican legislation cuts federal funding for health care by over $1 trillion dollars, cutting funding for Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act. According to the Congressional Budget Office, approximately 17 million Americans will lose their health care coverage and over 11 million will become uninsured. House Budget Committee Democrats estimate that over 480,000 Ohioans will lose health insurance, including approximately 43,000 people in OH-11 according to the analysis from the Joint Economic Committee Minority. Affordable Care Act premiums are estimated to increase by $600. 

Over 300,000 people (over 40% of the total population) in OH-11 rely on Medicaid, the highest percentage of any congressional district in Ohio. 

Nutrition Cuts

The bill cuts SNAP by nearly $200 billion dollars. According to the Congressional Budget Office 5 million Americans are at risk of losing all or some of their SNAP benefits. House Budget Committee Democrats estimate that at least 98,000 people in Ohio could lose all or some of their food assistance. Approximately600,000 low-income households will see their SNAP benefits reduced by an average of $100 a month.

During floor debate, Brown also spoke out against the bill’s provisions to impose new unfunded mandates on state and county governments that administer SNAP, which could imperil the program and other local services. 

According to the USDA, 21% of households in Congresswoman Brown’s district, OH-11, (or 75,000 households total) rely on SNAP benefits, including 31% of Black households. The percentage of households in OH-11 that depend on SNAP is the highest for a congressional district in Ohio. 

Tax Giveaways and Exploding National Debt

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the bill will add $3.4 trillion to the national debt, putting at risk essential programs for decades to come. Analysis from the CBO and the Joint Committee on Taxation find that the bill worsens inequality, gives the ultra-rich a historic tax break, and makes working people worse off. Meanwhile, the top 0.1% will receive a $301,000 annual tax cut, while the bottom third of Americans will see a net decrease in income. 

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