WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-5) took to the House Floor to slam the GOP funding bill, which cuts health care, housing, and veterans' benefits while greenlighting even more cuts to critical programs Americans rely on. Below is a transcript of her remarks: 

"Republicans made a promise to the American people: 'We're going to build a stronger economy, we're going to lower prices, and we're going to have safer communities.'

"But for 7 weeks, we have seen nothing but ideas and bills that break that promise.

"We all want government to run more efficiently, to be better for people that depend on it. But stealing money from the Veterans' Administration, from schools, from law enforcement, from children’s health care, and giving it [as] a tax cut to the wealthiest man on earth — and his billionaire friends? That's not finding efficiencies. That's not taking on waste and fraud in government. It’s destroying working families.

"The GOP are crushing the American people under the weight of their own political ambition.

"Rents are going up. Housing is in a crisis. This bill today? They proposed to evict 32,000 families from their homes. 32,000. Those are veterans. Those are kids. Those are seniors. Those are domestic violence survivors. 

"Eggs at my grocery store on Sunday were $8.49 a dozen. In this bill, you proposed to take $27 million away from the inspectors who go out to our chicken farms, who are fighting and trying to stop bird flu that is causing the spike in eggs. What kind of insanity is that?

"And then — if we look at the budget overall — we've got health care spiking and you want to cut Medicaid. That's the answer?

"Seniors’ cost of living is out of control. And you're saying, 'Let's run up the cost of prescription drugs.'

"And as Elon told us directly this week, coming next you want to 'eliminate' Social Security.

"So, if you feel this is the 'mandate' you have, you can do that on your own."

To watch the full speech, click HERE. 

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