Rep. Cleaver Votes Against GOP Budget That Rips Healthcare and Food Assistance from Working Class Families to Fund Tax Cuts for the Wealthy

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) voted against the Republican budget proposal that would rip healthcare away from nearly 14 million Americans, take food assistance away from millions more through cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and explode the national deficit by approximately $3.8 trillion to expand tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the legislation takes from the poorest Americans to give another tax break that overwhelmingly benefits the wealthiest in the nation.

“Today, my Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives passed one of the most reckless and fiscally irresponsible bills that I have ever seen in my time in Congress, guaranteeing a massive redistribution of wealth from the poorest families to the wealthiest one percent, while exploding our national deficit by more than $3 trillion,” said Congressman Cleaver. “At a time when income inequality is at historic levels and working class families are pleading for relief, congressional Republicans are making the largest cuts to Medicaid and SNAP in American history, ripping healthcare and food assistance away from vulnerable families, to give another tax break that lines the pockets of billionaires like Elon Musk and Donald Trump. It is a moral monstrosity that will have devastating repercussions in the years to come if the Senate does not take action to stop it.”

According to estimates, the resolution would increase inflation, with the average American household’s purchasing power falling by $300-$1,250 over the next five years. That does not include the average loss of $2,800 for the average American due to the president’s previously announced costly tariff plans.

The Treasury Department found that the extension of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act would give an average annual tax cut of $32,118 for those in the top 1 percent and an average annual tax cut of $314,266 for those in the top 0.1 percent. When adding additional tax breaks included in the Republican budget proposal, the Penn Wharton Budget Model finds an average benefit of $44,365 for those in the top 1 percent and an average benefit of $389,290 for those in the top 0.1 percent. Nearly half the net benefit of extending the law would go to the top 5 percent of households, or those making more than $450,000 per year.

Meanwhile, according to the Penn Wharton Budget Model, the bottom 40% of households will actually see lower after-tax income if the legislation becomes law, as they only receive a miniscule tax cut while losing access to programs like Medicaid, SNAP, school meals, and more, as well as facing higher costs due to inflationary effects. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the Republican budget passed by House Republicans would result in the largest Medicaid cuts in American history—which would be particularly devastating to Missouri.

According to several analyses, the Republican budget proposal will:

• Rip healthcare away from approximately 27,817 Missourians in the Fifth Congressional District, including 13,017 Missourians on Medicaid and 14,800 Missourians receiving coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Across the state, nearly 212,000 Missourians will lose health coverage through Medicaid and the ACA.
• Take food assistance away from approximately 18,000 households in the Fifth Congressional District, with more than 150,000 households losing assistance from the SNAP program across the entire state.
• Increase healthcare costs for Missourians who receive coverage through the ACA, blowing a $710 annual hole in the budget of the 49,000 Missourians who receive health coverage under the ACA.
• Increase the cost of higher education for 12,625 students in Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District who receive Pell grants, which make college more affordable for working class families.

“Despite promises to protect Medicaid, lower costs, and fight for working class families across the country, the Republican budget betrayal is the same trickle-down economics that has failed the American people for decades, only on steroids,” said Congressman Cleaver. “It is my hope that sanity will prevail in the Senate, where my colleagues can still block this legislation from harming the most vulnerable members of our community. As it moves closer to the finish line, I will continue speaking out and standing up for those who may not be able to donate to political campaigns but still deserve access to affordable healthcare and nutrition assistance no less.”

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.