Pete Aguilar (00:00):
Now some of our friends on the other side of the aisle will say, "This is just a procedural step." Please don't hold this vote against me. Here's the truth, this vote doesn't just open the door for Medicaid cuts. It guarantees them.
(00:16)
Republicans are hiding because they're terrified of voting against Trump's endorsed budget, but their constituents are banging down their doors and demanding answers on why they care more about reducing costs for billionaires instead of working families.
(00:32)
Our challenge to House Republicans is after you pass this budget today, which cuts Medicaid by 880 billion, go home and have a town hall with your constituents. See how they feel about what you just did.
(00:49)
If you're going to rip away healthcare from people, then you want to be able to defend your vote directly to them, but that would require the House Republican Conference growing a spine. So we'll see. Next, Vice Chair Ted Lieu.
Vice Chair Ted Lieu (01:04):
Thank you, Chair Aguilar and it's honored to be here with Brennan Boyle and Veronica's who are on their budget committee. At the beginning of Donald Trump's term shortly after an inauguration, Donald Trump was at plus six approval.
(01:17)
Reuters has been tracking Donald Trump's approval and disapproval for the first 30 days, and they recently released a poll showing that Donald Trump is now at minus seven. So less than one month, that's a swing of 13 points.
(01:32)
And why are Trump's numbers free-falling? One reason is because Trumponomics sucks. His indiscriminate tariffs are increasing prices and increasing inflation. Firing people who work on the bird flu or cutting funding to folks who work on the bird flu is going to increase egg prices, and by the way, a lot of places you can't even get eggs and nowhere is the harm of Trumponomics more exemplified than the Republican budget.
(01:59)
This GOP budget is going to cut $880 billion of Medicaid to then fund huge tax cuts for the super wealthy and for billionaires. And what is $880 billion of Medicaid look like? It means the shutting down of community health clinics, the shutting down of hospitals, the shutting down of nursing homes. Approximately two-thirds of nursing home patients are paid for by Medicaid. This is going to have a huge impact on a middle class, on the poor also that billionaires can get even richer.
(02:33)
We're asking everyone to stand up and oppose this Republican budget betrayal. And I'm so honored now to introduce the ranking member of our budget committee, the great Brendan Boyle from Philadelphia home of the Super Bowl winning Eagles.
Brendan Boyle (02:51):
I did not pay Ted to introduce me in that way, but I appreciate it. I'm Brendan Boyle, a congressman proudly of Philadelphia and also the ranking member of the budget committee. Let's be clear, the Republican budget represents the Republican betrayal of the middle class. It cuts at least one and a half trillion dollars, including at least $880 billion from Medicaid in order to partially pay for trillions of dollars in tax cuts, most of which go to the richest 1% of Americans.
(03:27)
It also increases the deficit and the national debt to the tune of $4 trillion. Even a number of house Republicans have come out upon reading the bill and recognized this fact. And by the way, this is from the same crowd that for the last four years did nothing but shed crocodile tears over the national debt. So you can see why this is such a Republican betrayal of the middle class.
(03:58)
It betrays the very folks who voted for Donald Trump in order to bring down costs at the supermarket. We haven't seen one second spent on that subject. What we have seen is that yet again, the top priority for my Republican colleagues is to cut and slash government programs, most especially Medicaid in order to finance tax cuts for the richest 1%.
(04:29)
And let's be clear about it because there are some on the other side who are attempting to confuse people, this absolutely guarantees Medicaid cuts that would amount to the largest cuts to Medicaid in American history, all to deliver tax cuts for the richest 1%. With that, I'm happy to yield to a great budget committee member, my friend, Veronica Escobar.
Veronica Escobar (04:55):
Thank you Chairman. Thank you vice chair. Thank you ranking member. [Spanish 00:05:00] It's my privilege to be here standing with great champions for hardworking American families.
(05:08)
I think it's really important for us to remember what happened last year. Last year the American people went to the polls and overwhelmingly told candidates and told incumbents, "We want you to focus on the cost of living. We want you to lower our everyday costs. We want you to tackle inflation."
(05:34)
Where are we today? We are seeing inflation increase. We are seeing costs go up and the American people need our help. This budget, not only doesn't help hardworking Americans, this budget will devastate hardworking Americans in a way that is absolutely a betrayal of the middle class. This budget will make Americans sicker, poorer, and this budget will make their lives more challenging.
(06:07)
You cannot make the kind of deep cuts that this budget resolution unlocks without harming the people who are depending on us to make their lives better. And as my colleagues mentioned, in Medicaid alone, in the cuts that will have to happen as a result of this resolution, we are going to see Americans have their premiums, their Affordable Care Act premiums double. Does that make their lives better? Does that make things more affordable?
(06:42)
We are going to see families who have a loved one who is disabled lose their benefits. Does this make their lives better? Does this make the cost of living more affordable for them? We are going to see families who have a loved one in a nursing home have to figure out the future for their elderly parent or grandparent because Medicaid cuts will impact them. Will that make their lives better or more affordable? When community hospitals close, when community clinics close, will that make people's lives better or more affordable? Absolutely not.
(07:18)
And there will also be an impact on local economies. We have a data that shows for every dollar spent on SNAP, that means it impacts the local economy by a dollar 50. By removing the support that the American people look to us to guarantee we are not just going to hurt everyday Americans, we're going to hurt economies around the country at a time when Americans want us to do the opposite.
(07:55)
Let every Republican considering voting in favor of this terrible budget explain to their constituents how this improves their lives or makes their lives better. I'll tell you whose life it does improve, those billionaires who will be able to buy another yacht because of these tax cuts, another jet because of these tax cuts, another luxury home because of these tax cuts. But go talk to Thomas Massie also about what this will do to the debt and he'll tell you what it'll do to the debt. Thank you. I yield back.
Pete Aguilar (08:33):
Thank you Veronica. Questions? Nick.
Nick (08:39):
Guys, two weeks out from the government funding deadline, do you feel like the spending cuts that are coming up in this budget, the continued Elon Musk DOGE cuts, does that make it harder to come to an agreement?
Pete Aguilar (08:54):
Democrats are led by Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro in these conversations. They continue each and every week that we're here, our appropriators and leaders are guiding who are guiding this decision or having these conversations.
(09:11)
I've talked before at this podium about trust being such an important part of the appropriations process. The lack of trust that House of Republicans are going to stand up to Donald Trump and Elon Musk is shaping some of these conversations.
(09:29)
I think that is fair to say, but we stand ready to work to govern and if there is an ability to get to a solution, we trust that Rosa DeLauro and our counterparts on the Senate side will get to a solution to fund government. But this is on Republicans.
(09:49)
Republicans need to put up the votes if they are serious. They campaigned on governing, they campaigned that they could govern, that they could control the gavels and govern and we're clearly seeing that they don't want to govern. All they want to do is just… Dusty Johnson did today is trying to point and shift blame on Democrats.
(10:12)
If Republicans don't want to govern, they just need to give us a couple votes and we'll put Hakeem Jeffries in the speaker chair. We'll put Brendan Boyle with the gavel and budget and Rosa DeLauro guiding the Appropriations committee and we'll deliver for the American public and do exactly what we said we would do. Mariana, congratulations by the way.
Mariana (10:32):
Thank you. So during the last term, we saw time and time again where Democrats did end up voting for Republicans. The government opened new government. We're obviously in a different position as you all watch what's going to happen today, whether [inaudible 00:10:47] can even get their own votes on the budget resolution.
(10:50)
I know it's still a little hypothetical as to what a potential CR government shut down prevention plan could look like. However, are you all strongly considering potentially withholding your votes as Democrats if this budget resolution were to pass?
Pete Aguilar (11:08):
Look, the details matter on all of this. We're talking about a budget resolution. It's important that we don't conflate all of these things. These are different proposals. This is their strategy to enact tax cuts for billionaires at the expense of the working class. That's what we were dealing with this week.
(11:25)
Obviously, in the days and weeks ahead, we also have to focus attention on funding government. Democrats are at the table. We are having conversations. Republicans are the ones that walked away and said that they might need to consider a CR. That was Republican leadership and the chairman of the committee who said that. So that is their decision.
(11:50)
If they feel that is their path then it is their opportunity to put up the votes in order to execute that plan. If they are interested in collaborating with us and us putting up votes to fund government, then they have to work with us. If they walk away, that is a signal that they have this on their own and what that means is that they have to put up the votes to do it.
(12:15)
We're not interested in putting up votes just because we're interested in funding government that protects vulnerable populations, protects our communities, makes investments in our national security and defense. Those are the things that Democrats care about. If Republicans don't want to partner with us, then clearly they must have a strategy to fund this on their own using their own votes. Mike.
Mike (12:43):
Thank you Chairman. I'm going to let you off the hook and I've got a question for the Vice-Chancellor.
Pete Aguilar (12:47):
Oh, this is a perfect. This is an amazing start to the morning.
Mike (12:51):
The only bet at the podium this week, I want to get your reaction to, number one, president Trump referring to Presidents as [inaudible 00:12:58] a dictator, the House Appropriations Committee, Democrats put out some information saying that up to almost 6,000 veterans have been fired through the DOGE efforts.
(13:10)
Just want to get your reaction to some of the foreign policies, some of the impact of the Trump administration's efforts towards veterans. What are your thoughts given, not just your position as vice chair of the Caucus, but as a veteran who worked to protect this nation?
Vice Chair Ted Lieu (13:26):
Thank you for that question. Donald Trump acts like he is scared of Putin. I don't know why that is. It is highly disturbing, but from Trump's comments in the past where he said he would trust Putin over our own intelligence officials, when Trump basically went to Helsinki and you could tell from his body language, he basically bowed down to Putin, to now Trump just saying things are completely false. Zelensky is now a dictator. Ukraine did not start the war. Russia invaded Ukraine, not once, but twice. They invaded Crimea in 2014 and when the world didn't do very much, they invaded again in 2022.
(14:05)
And as a veteran, it is just completely outrageous to see Trump's misinformation and his comments about Russia and about Putin. And then the indiscriminate firing of employees at the VA and many agencies of folks who happen to be veterans, that is highly disturbing.
(14:22)
And the problem is when you have DOGE go in and just start doing these random firings, they have no context for what they're doing. You can't just look at some algorithm and have any idea, "Well, what does this person actually do at this agency that is very important for the American people," such as, "Oh, keeping our nuclear weapons and nuclear facilities safe."
(14:44)
They randomly fired all those people and then had to unfire them. This is the stupid chaos of DOGE and of the Trump administration and that by the way, is having an effect on the economy. It's causing businesses not wanting to invest. It's causing people not want to do anything. And so we really want to make sure that as Democrats, we stand firm and standing up against all this chaos.
Mike (15:04):
One more. What's your message to the American people who are concerned about the UN resolution yesterday when the United States voted with Belarus, Hungary, Syria, and not the other members of the G7, all six G7 nations other than the United States voted to condemn Russia for invading Ukraine. The United States didn't. Does that also give you pause?
Vice Chair Ted Lieu (15:28):
It was a shameful day for America. We used to fight the axes of evil. Now Trump apparently wants to join the axes of evil.
Pete Aguilar (15:41):
Thank you.
Speaker 8 (15:42):
Thanks Chairman Aguilar. You guys have emphasized the tax cuts for the rich that would come with this Republican budget proposal, but the TCJA also has tax cuts for most Americans as well. What would you say to constituents of yours who might be worried that they could see a tax increase after?
Pete Aguilar (16:00):
Have had a lot of conversations with constituents of mine. Many of them face tax increases as a result of the prior tax cut because we're in California, because the state and local deduction was eliminated or instituted at the $10,000 number. It affected a lot of middle class families in San Bernardino County who saw their tax bill rise.
(16:24)
So when I tell them I'm opposing this effort, they're supportive of it because they remember what it was like pre-2017 and they saw all the news that there would be tax cuts affecting small businesses, families, and individuals. Many families in California didn't see the benefit of that.
(16:46)
So the Trump tax cut is not very popular in San Bernardino County. I welcome you to come walk the streets and hang out with me a little bit there if you want to see it in person. Cassie.
Cassie (16:56):
Mr. Chairman, I wanted to ask you about wildfire funding. We saw Governor Newsom sent his $40 billion request late Friday to Congress. First, your reaction to the ask. And second, what is your message to Republicans who are still saying there should be contingencies placed on receiving this late?
Pete Aguilar (17:14):
We're aware of the ask. We saw the letter from the governor with respect to Republicans. I think it would be absolutely shameful and un-American to treat this disaster unlike other disasters. We did not add conditions to North Carolina. We have never added conditions to Louisiana or to Florida, Californians, Pennsylvanians, Texans. We support each other. We're all Americans, and when we suffer through a natural disaster, the expectation from our constituents is that as Americans we're there with each other.
(17:54)
So to add conditions that have never been done before to this is shameful and I hope House Republicans speak against this proposal and our expectation and hope is that this works through the normal process just like we have in the past.
(18:13)
But the small business administration, the Army Corps of Engineers, FEMA, they need these additional resources to serve our communities who have been through a disaster. Vice Chair Lieu's constituents, and I know he's had staff members affected directly, so I'd like him to say something too.
(18:33)
But we cannot condition aid based on red states and blue states. That's not who we are. If you were an American and you go through a natural disaster and tragedy, we need to be there for you. That is our responsibility and obligation.
Vice Chair Ted Lieu (18:50):
Thank you Chairman Aguilar. One of their fires was in the area of Altadena. I encourage people to go look that up, where Altadena is, it's completely inland. One of the Trump administration's conditions on aid is to eliminate the California Coastal Commission.
(19:07)
What does an inland city like Altadena have to do with the Coastal commission? Nothing. This is a completely ludicrous condition they're trying to put on, and they're leveraging the pain and suffering of disaster victims to extract their pet policy preferences.
(19:23)
It would be like Democrats saying, "We're not going to vote for hurricane relief for Florida if there's a future hurricane because we want to randomly eliminate some commission in Florida." It's just completely absurd that Trump administration should be ashamed of themselves for trying to use the pain and suffering of Americans to get random conditions through. We're not going to stand for it.
Speaker X (19:45):
Last one.
Pete Aguilar (19:46):
Question.
Speaker 11 (19:48):
A few minutes ago, House Republican leadership was in here saying that Medicaid is not mentioned in the bill and that Democrats are fearmongering by bringing out Medicaid cuts. What is your rebuttal to that?
Pete Aguilar (19:58):
Clearly, I'm going to yield to Ranking Member Boyle as well here, but clearly we've hit a nerve. The math just doesn't add up. They did not say where the 880 billion of cuts from the Energy and Commerce Committee that this document directs, they did not say where those cuts come from.
(20:20)
They did not say that Medicaid… They could not tell you that Medicaid cuts were excluded because they know they have to address Medicaid. They have to cut Medicaid in order to make their math work.
(20:34)
It is unfortunate, but we've heard a variety of excuses from them in the past 72 hours. "This is a procedural vote. This doesn't say Medicaid," right. They aren't sure because their conference is so divided. They're utilizing every strategy they can to try to get their members to support this bill. We won't stand for it.
(20:54)
We stand with our communities, hundreds of thousands in each of our districts who benefit from Medicaid, get their healthcare delivered by Medicaid. We're going to listen to our constituents and we encourage our colleagues to do the same. Ranking Member Boyle.
Brendan Boyle (21:10):
Yes, I've heard a number of my Republican colleagues say that it's incredibly disingenuous and here's why. Occasionally, I will be at the kitchen table helping my daughters in the fifth grade with her math and her teacher is big on show-your-work. So I will follow that advice and show my work.
(21:28)
Now, in terms of why they have to cut Medicaid in their own instructions, their resolution calls for at least, as a floor, $880 billion to be cut by what is under the purview of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
(21:45)
If energy and Commerce Committee said, "We don't want to cut Medicaid. Instead, we will cut literally everything else we possibly can, a hundred percent," that only gets you about halfway to the $880 billion. So by definition they have to, as a minimum, cut hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicaid.
(22:08)
And I remind everyone, again, I keep stressing the word at least because in that 12 hour markup we held last Thursday in budget committee, at the 12th hour, the House Freedom Caucus got a big win. I'll give them credit. They were able to get in an amendment that raised the total cuts from one and a half trillion to $2 trillion.
(22:32)
So when we talk about 880 billion, that is the absolute minimum in order to satisfy that amendment that was added. So it's pretty clear who was driving the bus on the other side. It is the most extreme members of the House Republican Conference. And the math is quite clear, there will be hundreds of billions of dollars to Medicaid and their budget resolution the largest in American history.
Pete Aguilar (23:06):
Thank you so much.
Speaker X (23:07):
Thank you.