Zoe Lofgren: “I have spoken publicly against this bill and its serious health care cuts. You can't pull a trillion dollars out of the…”

“I have spoken publicly against this bill and its serious health care cuts. You can't pull a trillion dollars out of the health care system and expect health care providers to survive. Clinics, hospitals and nursing homes won't survive the massive pull out of funds. That kind of blow doesn't just show up on a balance sheet, it shows up in real lives. It also means people kicked off their coverage, parents forced to choose between paying rent or filling a prescription for their child, seniors skipping doctor visits or going without medication. And it means hospitals and community clinics closing their doors, leaving patients without care. These aren't just numbers, these are people, and this bill turns its back on them. I grew up in a regular, hard-working household. Neither of my parents went to college. They worked hard, but they didn't have the money to send me to college. I was fortunate; fortunate to earn scholarships, to get student loans, to work while in school and to be able to chart a path toward. But the opportunities that helped me are stripped away for the next generation in this bill. With cuts to federal student aid and Pell Grant programs, the opportunity I had will be gone for those in the normal kind of family I grew up in if this bill becomes law. The cuts to nutrition assistance in this bill are cruel. They will leave children hungry and seniors skipping meals because they can't afford food.”