Ranking Member Levin Opening Statement at Markup of Harmful GOP Budget Legislation, Foster Care Bill
(Remarks as delivered)
"The Republicans say that they are interested in addressing poverty. But they bring forth a package of bills that would cut or end programs that have kept millions of children, seniors, and Americans with disabilities out of poverty.
"They say that they will come up with their alternative to the Affordable Care Act, but they never do. Instead, they bring up a bill that would cause 250,000 Americans to lose their health insurance, and increasing financial uncertainty and costs for millions more.
"They say that they want to replace programs like Medicaid and SNAP with a block grant because they provide states more flexibility. But today they're proposing eliminating the Social Services Block Grant, which helps provide critical services to nearly 30 million children, seniors, and individuals with disabilities. It demonstrates their hypocrisy, and also how turning programs into block grants makes it easier to eventually cut them.
"The proposal would end the refundable Child Tax Credit for 3 million children, almost all of whom are citizens with a parent or parents that are undocumented but paying taxes. This highlights so clearly the need for immigration reform, not the harsh rhetoric we hear from Republican presidential candidates or legislation punishing millions of American children.
"Why is this being done today? It's a tactic aimed at softening the hardest-liners threatening their budget – throw them some bones, in this case some big ones – even though they've already said they won't ultimately support their budget.
"With the economy still recovering and hardworking Americans still feeling left behind, we should be focusing in this Committee on proposals to grow the economy, create good-paying jobs, and strengthen the programs that keep Americans from falling into poverty, not tearing these very programs apart. This package and its motivations are misguided and they are dangerous."
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