Press Release
Lawmakers & Advocates Rally Against GOP Plan to Give Tax Breaks to Billionaires by Gutting Medicaid, SNAP and Driving Kids into Poverty
05. 13. 2025
Before key committee markups, lawmakers and advocacy orgs pushed back against Republicans’ plan to give tax cuts to billionaires.
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WASHINGTON, DC – Economic Security Project Action and Community Change Action hosted a press conference today bringing together lawmakers, allies and advocates before key House committee markups (Agriculture, Energy & Commerce, and Ways & Means) where Republicans were expected to advance devastating cuts to Medicaid and SNAP to fund tax breaks for billionaires.
“Republicans are showing their true priorities. They promised to stand up for working families but in fact, they’re siding with their billionaire donors,” said Adam Ruben, Director of Economic Security Project Action. “As families struggle with rising costs, the Republican Child Tax Credit would permanently kick out 4.5 million kids. It would do nothing for 17 million low-income kids because their families earn too little to get the full tax credit. This Republican bill could push 2 million kids into poverty or further into poverty, and yet, if you’re a millionaire, you’re getting an average tax cut of $100,000. Under Trump and these Republicans, it’s a good time to be a billionaire and a lousy time to be a working class family struggling to get by.
“While Republicans would have you believe there isn’t enough for all of us, we know that’s not true,” said Desmond Serrette, Deputy Chief of Programs at Community Change. “What’s really happening is that they’re taking from poor people by cutting Medicaid and SNAP in order to give more to billionaires. To put it simply, Republicans are helping billionaires siphon money from our economy so they can hoard more wealth.
“This is not about cutting waste, fraud, or abuse,” said Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA). “This is about cutting healthcare for families, kicking seniors out of nursing homes, shutting down rural hospitals, and it’s about making billionaires richer while working families suffer.”
“Trump’s one big, beautiful bill that we’re about to take up is nothing but an ugly lie built on a mountain of lies,” said Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX). “It is a lie to say this bill focuses its tax relief on the middle class. Trillions in this bill results entirely from providing more tax breaks to the rich, the very rich, and the very, very rich.”
“A few weeks ago, a woman approached me and asked me if her husband, who has Alzheimer’s, would be thrown out on the street if long-term care is changed,” said Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI). “What would she do? Would he die? How would she live? People shouldn’t have to worry about those questions.”
“It’s cruel to cut nutrition assistance from children, seniors, and families,” said Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV). “It’s cruel to strangle Social Security and Medicare. It’s cruel to take away healthcare from families in order to give tax breaks to billionaires.”
”Republicans are taking away from people who really need it, who fought for it…“ said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “And they’re taking it away just to give it to people who don’t need it.”
“For those of us with severe, significant disabilities like myself, I rely on literally life support: a ventilator, a wheelchair, 24-hour care,” said Josie Badger, President of J. Badger Consulting. “This is our lifeline. There are no others. No private insurance will pay to allow me to stay alive.”