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House Assistant Minority Leader Neguse: “House Republicans are uninterested in tackling issues that matter to the American people”

May 17, 2024
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Assistant House Minority Leader Joe Neguse Special Order Hour

Washington, D.C. — Earlier this week, House Assistant Minority Leader Joe Neguse, House Budget Committee Ranking Member Brendan Boyle (PA-07), and House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee Ranking Member John B. Larson (CT-01) hosted a Special Order Hour on Republican’s Backwards Budget. Participating Members highlighted how the proposal, authored by the Republican Study Committee, would gut vital lifelines for American families, like Social Security and Medicare. The plan would also put health care coverage at risk for millions of Americans and cut funding for local law enforcement agencies. 

Assistant Leader Neguse: “First and foremost, let me thank the distinguished gentleman from Connecticut, our former Caucus Chair, for his clarion call that he has issued year after year, month after month, day after day, to protect, to strengthen Social Security— couldn’t be more important. And we couldn’t be more grateful for his leadership and the leadership of so many of my colleagues who have joined us tonight on the House Floor to talk to the American people about the ways in which House Democrats are protecting critical programs like Social Security and Medicare and the myriad ways in which, unfortunately, our colleagues on the other side of the aisle are doing the exact opposite. 

“I will give you but one example, Mr. Speaker, with respect to the latter. I know you are familiar — don’t know if the American people are familiar —with the Republican Study Committee, the largest caucus within the Republican Conference. 80% of the Republican Conference consider themselves members of this committee. 100% of House Republican leadership count themselves among the members of this committee. The former chairman of the Republican Study Committee is now the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. 

“Why do I bring up the Republican Study Committee? Well, it might interest you to know, Mr. Speaker, that just two months ago the Republican Study Committee issued a budget for 2025. Again, this is a committee that has 80% of the Republican Conference in its membership. This backwards budget plan is incredibly revealing. What does it do? It upends critical programs that American families depend on, makes draconian cuts to Medicare and Social Security. A plan that increases the retirement age to 69, forcing Americans to work longer for less. A plan that cuts disability benefits, erodes care for children, making it more expensive to care for our families. Their plan raises Medicare costs for seniors, takes away the programs’ ability to negotiate prescription drug costs. Repeals the $35 insulin and $2,000 out-of-pocket caps that House Democrats, the members gathered here on the Floor this evening, fought so vigorously to enact in the 117th Congress.” 

For a full video of the Assistant Leader’s remarks, click HERE

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