LEADER JEFFRIES: “THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAS THE MONEY TO MAKE SURE THAT NOT A SINGLE AMERICAN GOES HUNGRY”

Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries held a press availability, where he emphasized that while Donald Trump and Republicans are choosing to rip nutritional assistance and healthcare from the American people, Democrats will continue to fight to end the shutdown and support everyday Americans.

LEADER JEFFRIES: This is day 29 of the Trump-Republican shutdown, and Republicans have continued to show zero interest in reopening the government, enacting a bipartisan agreement that meets the needs of the American people and addressing the Republican healthcare crisis. In just a few days, on November 1st, open enrollment will begin, and tens of millions of Americans are going to more completely understand that their premiums, co-pays and deductibles are going to skyrocket by thousands of dollars per year because of Republicans' continued refusal to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits for working-class Americans. At the same period of time, on November 1st, about 42 million Americans who rely on SNAP in order to put food on the table are at risk of losing their benefits because Donald Trump and Republicans want to cruelly rip them away. Let's be clear. The administration has the funding to make sure that not a single American on November 1st or beyond goes hungry. Not a single American. They have the money, but they are choosing to withhold funding for SNAP because they want to punish hungry children, hungry veterans, hungry seniors, hungry women and hungry families as part of their continued effort to hurt everyday Americans.

This is what we've seen from Donald Trump and Republicans from the very beginning of this Congress. The Republican One Big Ugly Bill included the largest cut to Medicaid in American history. It also included the largest cut to nutritional assistance in American history. Republicans cut $186 billion from SNAP in July, which is why we're facing this crisis right now. And they did all of this back in July. Why? So they could provide massive tax breaks to their billionaire donors. That's what Republicans have done during this presidency. And now, because of their continued refusal to even sit down and have a conversation with Democrats, despite us repeatedly making clear that we will sit down with Republicans anytime, anyplace, anywhere, here at the Capitol or back at the White House, to have a serious conversation about reopening the government, supporting our hardworking federal employees and addressing the healthcare crisis that Republicans have created, the affordability crisis that Republicans have created and now the hunger crisis that Republicans are creating by threatening to withhold SNAP benefits, even though the Trump administration has the money to make sure that not a single American goes hungry.

Full press availability can be watched here.

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