Congressman Amo Slams Republican Budget Cuts to Essential Programs on House Floor

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Gabe Amo (RI-01), a member of the House Budget Committee, slammed the Republican budget resolution that threatens devastating cuts to critical programs. Amo’s remarks follow the Republican-controlled House Committee on Rules’ refusal to include Congressman Amo’s amendments in the budget resolution to protect nutrition programs and support Medicaid. Republicans are seeking cuts to programs that would harm Rhode Islanders to pay for a tax giveaway for billionaires.

“Just yesterday, Republicans refused to consider my amendment to block cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and programs that provide free and reduced lunches for students. You heard that right, Republicans want to make it harder for hungry children to eat,” said Congressman Gabe Amo, a member of the House Committee on Budget, on the House Floor. “Republicans also refused to join me in supporting Medicaid — which provides health coverage to 72 million Americans, including over 300,000 Rhode Islanders. That’s not a typo. Republicans are putting the needs of billionaires above the needs of ordinary Americans.”

Watch Congressman Amo’s remarks HERE

BACKGROUND
Congressman Amo serves on the House Committee on the Budget to fight for budget priorities that reflect Rhode Island values and the needs of working families across the country. The House Committee on the Budget’s chief responsibility is to draft an annual concurrent resolution on the budget that provides the framework for spending and revenue levels, the federal surplus or deficit, and public debt. The Committee is also the first step in the reconciliation process the Republican House majority is using to push the Trump Tax Scam 2.0 — a plan that could cut key programs like SNAP and Medicaid.

On February 24, 2025, Congressman Amo submitted two amendments to the House Committee on Rules. The first amendment would protect SNAP, the Community Eligibility Provision, the School Breakfast Program, and the National School Lunch Program in the Republican budget resolution instructions to the Committees on Education and Workforce, and Agriculture. The second amendment would affirm that Medicaid is a critical program that provides health care, nursing home care, and other life-saving services to 72 million Americans, including 30 million children, and more than 306,000 Rhode Island residents. The amendment supports protecting Medicaid from possible Republican cuts to fund more tax breaks for the wealthy.    

During the House Budget Committee markup on February 13, 2025, Congressman Amo offered two amendments. His first amendment would support protecting and extending Medicare’s solvency by closing tax loopholes and requiring wealthy taxpayers to contribute more to Medicare. His second amendment would strike the instructions to the Committees on Education and Workforce, and Agriculture to protect SNAP, the Community Eligibility Provision, the School Breakfast Program, and the National School Lunch Program.

On February 19, 2025, Congressman Amo visited the Barrington Peck Center for Adult Enrichment where he spoke about his support for critical programs like Medicare and Medicaid. There, Congressman Amo discussed his work on the Budget Committee to protect these programs from Republican cuts. On February 20, Congressman Gabe Amo joined Dean Ashish Jha of Brown University’s School of Public Health to reaffirm his support for funding health care facilities that provide comprehensive primary care to medically underserved communities, as well as his work to protect critical funding for medical research and public health programs under threat due to cuts by the Trump administration.

The Republican budget resolution directs specific committees to achieve spending cuts or increases. Republicans leaked menu of options includes:

• At least $880 billion in cuts for the Energy and Commerce Committee, which could target Medicaid, Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium assistance, and repeal Inflation Reduction Act policies.
• At least $330 billion in cuts for the Education and Workforce Committee, which could target student loan programs, income driven repayment, and Pell grants, Head Start, and School lunch.
• At least $230 billion in cuts for the Agriculture Committee, which could target SNAP.
• At least $50 billion in cuts for the Oversight Committee, which could target government employee retirement benefits and changes to federal workforce.
• At least $10 billion in cuts for the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which could target restricting Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding, Essential Air Service, increasing the “tonnage tax” on cargo, and raiding the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund.
• At least $1 billion in cuts for the Financial Services Committee, which could target the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and funding for financial regulators.
• At least $1 billion in cuts for the Natural Resources Committee, which could include expanded oil and gas leasing and the repeal of Inflation Reduction Act policies.  
• Up to $4.5 trillion in new spending for the Ways and Means Committee, which could include tax cuts for the top one percent, repeal of Inflation Reduction Act policies, cuts to Temporary Assistance to Needy Families and Social Services Block Grant, cuts in Medicare payments to providers, and cuts to Affordable Care Act premium assistance.

FLOOR REMARKS AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY

Mr. Speaker, I ask myself two questions on every vote. Who does this benefit? Who does this hurt? 

Today, the answers are clear. This Republican budget resolution would benefit the richest one percent.

Who would it hurt? Working-class families struggling to make ends meet.

It threatens third-graders in my hometown of Pawtucket who rely on the Community Eligibility Provision to eat school breakfast and lunch. 

It threatens a new mom on Aquidneck Island who needs Medicaid to afford postpartum health care.   

And it threatens seniors in East Providence who depend on Medicaid’s Home and Community Based Services to stay connected to their loved ones as they age at home.

All of these ordinary Americans would get hurt. For what? To pay for tax cuts for the rich. 

Don’t believe me? Look at the numbers.

The Republican plan could slash $230 billion from SNAP and $880 billion from Medicaid. 

Two proposals which allow them to turn around and shovel $1.1 trillion in tax giveaways to the richest 1 percent.

Mr. Speaker, when I first read through this resolution, I thought, surely it must be a mistake. There’s no way that Republicans would intentionally hurt working Americans. Right?

Wrong. Democrats tried to stop the madness over and over, but Republicans refused to listen.

Just yesterday, Republicans refused to consider my amendment to block cuts to SNAP and programs that provide free and reduced lunches for students. You heard that right, Republicans want to make it harder for hungry children to eat.

Republicans also refused to join me in supporting Medicaid. It provides health coverage to 72 million Americans, including over 300,000 Rhode Islanders.  

That’s not a typo. Republicans are putting the needs of billionaires above the needs of ordinary Americans.

If that isn’t a betrayal, I don’t know what is. 

I yield back. 

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