Ilhan Omar Warns GOP's Proposed Cuts To Medicaid, SNAP 'Will Kill People, Plain And Simple'

yesterday

During a tele-town hall on Wednesday, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) spoke about Republicans' proposed cuts to Medicaid and other government programs and agencies.

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Transcript

00:00anti-discrimination laws.

00:02This raises serious concerns about the future of Bell Grants,

00:06special education funding, Title I support for low-income schools.

00:11The federal government plays a deep and important role

00:14for schools all over the country,

00:16especially in terms of funding.

00:20The Department of Education is responsible

00:22for 11% of K-12 funding nationwide.

00:27This fiscal year, we allocated almost $15 billion

00:32to elementary and secondary education.

00:35This includes money for disenfranchised students,

00:38school improvement programs,

00:41devastating and making up most of this part of the school's budget.

00:48We also allocated $12 billion to special education,

00:51ensuring that each student has an opportunity to succeed.

00:55Minnesota receives over $2,000 per student

00:59from the federal government.

01:01Minneapolis public schools are already anticipating

01:05an $84 million deficit this year,

01:09with the deficit exceeding $100 million in subsequent years.

01:14Erasing these necessary federal funds

01:17will make the shortfall even more dire.

01:20The Department of Education was created by Congress,

01:23and we have not given Trump the authority to destroy it.

01:28Remember to dial SART 3 to ask a question live

01:31once I finish the updates.

01:35Similar to the Department of Education,

01:37the Department of Federal Affairs is planning to cut 83,000 jobs,

01:45which is about 17% of its workforce.

01:48Since nearly 30% of the federal workforce are veterans,

01:52this disproportionately affects those who serve our country.

01:57This will cause severe damage to the VA healthcare infrastructure.

02:0290% of the VA's workforce is dedicated to healthcare,

02:07and these cuts will worsen already long wait times

02:11and staffing shortages,

02:12making it harder for veterans to access care.

02:16It also will impact the veterans crisis line,

02:19which receives about 60,000 calls per month.

02:24Veterans face a disproportionate risk of suicide.

02:28This will make their disparity even more stark.

02:32It is unconscionable to turn our backs

02:35on those who have served our country.

02:37Finally, he plans to cut from the vital

02:41veteran safety net programs.

02:45Over 400,000 veterans are uninsured

02:49and nearly 10% of all veterans rely on Medicaid for healthcare,

02:54with 40% of these veterans depending on Medicaid entirely.

02:59These budget cuts could decimate Medicaid,

03:03potentially leaving hundreds of thousands of veterans

03:06without coverage.

03:07At the same time, he plans to cut food assistance

03:11with 1.2 million veterans relying on this benefit.

03:19Veterans are already overrepresented

03:21in our homeless population.

03:23Slashing these programs would worsen food security,

03:28homelessness, and access to care for those who serve.

03:32I think most people, most people in this room,

03:36agree that healthcare is a human right,

03:38that food is a human right,

03:39and the cuts that Republicans are proposing to Medicaid

03:43and SNAP will kill people, plain and simple.

03:47But when Republicans have abandoned veterans,

03:49it's hard to imagine who they are willing to protect.

03:54All of this is happening for one simple reason.

03:58They want to give a giant tax break

04:00to billionaires and corporations

04:03because that is who put them in power.

04:06Last week, a federal judge ruled that Trump

04:09had illegally fired thousands of workers

04:13and he ordered the government to immediately rehire them.

04:17We will see whether Trump again chooses

04:19to ignore the judiciary.

Ilhan Omar Warns GOP's Proposed Cuts To Medicaid, SNAP 'Will Kill People, Plain And Simple'

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