Pelosi on House Floor: "This is Robin Hood in Reverse"
Washington, D.C. – Tonight, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi delivered remarks on the Floor of the House of Representatives in opposition to the Republicans’ bill that cuts Medicaid by $700 billion, which she condemned as a cruel attack on working families, vulnerable children and Americans with disabilities.
Speaker Emerita Pelosi highlighted how the Republican Reverse Robin Hood plot would rip health care away from millions of Americans—including seniors, veterans and low-income families—just to finance tax breaks for billionaires and add trillions to the national debt while devastating communities across the country.
Watch Speaker Emerita Pelosi's remarks here.
Read Speaker Emerita Pelosi's full remarks below:
Speaker Emerita Pelosi. Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to receive time from the distinguished Congresswoman from Washington state. She is a pediatrician. We have all learned a lot about how public policy has a direct impact on the good—the health and well-being—of the American people.
And when I hear them talk about cutting over $700 billion in Medicaid and it's just 'waste, fraud and abuse'… this beautiful child is not waste, fraud and abuse. I will talk about a little child in my remarks who is not waste, fraud and abuse.
This Special Order comes together to shine a bright light on the Republican plan to fund tax breaks for billionaires by making huge cuts to Medicaid. Now, that's what it looks like. But the fact is, they will still—with their tax bill—be adding over nearly $4 trillion to the national debt to cover their tax break for the wealthiest people in our country.
This is fiscal engineering to reduce the role of government in the lives of the American people—where it is most needed. Where it is most needed.
This is Robin Hood in reverse. Taking resources from where it is most needed—the people who need it most—and giving it to those who need it least: the billionaires in America.
This is shameful. And it is a fraud. And it’s a shame.
Now, President Johnson reminded the American people when he signed Medicare and Medicaid. He traveled to Independence, Missouri, to be in the presence of President Truman—former President Truman—who had worked on this when he was President. But it came to fruition under President Johnson. And he went there, and he signed the bill in the presence of Harry Truman.
And he said – the President reminded the American people of a shared tradition: 'Never to be indifferent toward despair. Never to turn away from helplessness. Never to ignore or spurn those who suffer unattended in a land that is bursting with abundance.'
Indeed, Medicare and Medicaid save lives as a pillar of health security and justice for tens of millions of Americans.
People often think of Medicaid as health care for poor children. That would be justification enough—health care for poor children.
But it also is a middle-income benefit for nursing home residents, and people needing it for long-term care services. They get that largely through Medicaid. And it's also a benefit for people with disabilities.
The Republicans’ devastating budget plan would push about 14 million Medicaid recipients off life-saving health care, and leave countless vulnerable families exposed to catastrophic medical bills.
This is terrible. Because this is about health, and financial health, that is being devastated.
Working families and children in low-income households would face ruinous consequences—as would rural hospitals, as the distinguished Congresswoman has mentioned, families seeking opioid addiction treatment for their loved ones and middle-class Americans with long-term care needs.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert a statement from the California Medical Association into the record. This is what they have said—the California Medical Association President issued the following statement regarding House Republicans’ proposed care cuts in Medicaid:
‘The latest federal proposal to gut Medicaid is reckless. Physicians and hospitals will be pushed to the brink, forced to close their doors and unable to continue care for their patients.’
Because you know, when this funding leaves those rural hospitals—not only do the Medicaid patients lose—but all of the patients in that area lose. That’s my objection here.
Back to the statement:
'These would be the largest Medicaid cuts in history and will leave veterans, seniors, the disabled, children and working families without health care coverage.'
As the distinguished physician colleague has said, making emergency rooms the only point of care for millions of people. Communities will be devastated. Lives will be lost.
This is the CMA: 'Congress must reject these cuts and instead focus on strengthening the safety net that protects us all. Otherwise, at least 13.7 million people will lose health care coverage.'
Republican attacks on health care impact real people—including little children.
My guest at the President's State of the Union address was Elena Hung, mother of Xiomara, a courageous little lobbyist—11 years old.
She has complex medical needs—including chronic lung disease, chronic kidney disease, and global developmental delays. She has a tracheostomy, uses a ventilator, is oxygen-dependent, and uses a feeding tube.
Access to quality, affordable care ensured that Xiomara received the care she needed during extended hospitalization, and can now live at home with her family.
Medicaid has helped Xiomara receive the therapies she needs to catch up with her developmental milestones—including physical therapy, occupational therapy, feeding therapy and speech therapy.
But these very lifelines from Medicaid and more are what Republicans are working to destroy—to give a tax cut for billionaires.
Democrats are standing strong against the Administration’s many attacks against family health care. This is just one of them.
And with this Special Order—thank you, doctor, colleague—we are calling out Republicans to either vote to protect their constituents’ health care or vote to take it away.
That’s the choice.
In stark contrast to the President and Republicans in Congress, Democrats will always fight to lower health care costs. We are unified and ready to use every tool to stop this GOP scheme.
And we will always work to strengthen pillars of health and financial security in America. That includes Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. We will always fight for Medicaid.
I just want to go back to that one thing: they're still adding nearly $4 trillion to the national debt to give tax breaks to their wealthy billionaire friends.
In the bill that they passed when Trump was president—oh, there, I said his name—and the Republicans were in power. When the Republicans passed that bill and the President signed it into law, 83% of the benefits went to the top 1%, adding $2 trillion to the national debt.
They’re doubling down on that—getting to almost $4 trillion to the national debt—and saying, ‘We’ve got to give all this money to billionaires,’ and calling children ‘waste, fraud, and abuse’ in our Medicaid system.
It’s really sinful. It’s really sad.
And it is something that I hope the Republicans will reject. And I hope their constituents will call them. Because these Medicaid people are in Republican districts.
One of our colleagues in California has, out of all of our constituents, he has nearly 500,000 people on Medicaid—and yet he voted with the Republicans on this.
Well, you can be sure he’ll be hearing from his constituents. Because people know.
And I’ll close by saying—Lincoln said: ‘Public sentiment is everything. With it, you can accomplish almost anything. Without it, practically nothing.’
But for public sentiment to prevail, people have to know.
And we are making sure that your constituents know—and that they are informing you of their knowledge of what you are doing.
Reverse Robin Hood. Republican Reverse Robin Hood.
Thank you very much for the opportunity to share some thoughts about this—and for sharing the story of this beautiful little girl.
Thank you. I yield back.