Amo Statement on President Trump’s Joint Address to Congress

WASHINGTON, DC – Tonight, Congressman Gabe Amo (RI-01) released the following statement in reaction to Donald Trump’s remarks before a joint session of Congress:

“Tonight, Donald Trump led a parade of lies on the economy, Social Security, tariffs, immigration, and foreign policy as well as his administration’s efforts to dismantle our government, yet failed to mention a single thing he’s doing to lower costs for American families,” said Congressman Gabe Amo. “It was a shameful, hyper-partisan, gimmick-filled display from a President who said he would bring down prices on ‘day one’ — only to jack up prices higher than ever. Over the past 43 days, Trump has made clear that he isn’t focused on the needs of everyday Americans. Instead, he’s focused on waging a divisive culture war, exacting revenge and retribution for his petty grievances, and carrying out the wishes of billionaires like Elon Musk and authoritarians like Vladimir Putin. We won’t be distracted by theatrics. We deserve better.”

BACKGROUND

Congressman Amo’s guest to tonight’s joint address to Congress was Joan M. Woods, the operator of John Clarke Senior Living, a nursing home in Middletown, Rhode Island. Her attendance highlights the harm that the administration is having on seniors — especially the roughly 65% of Ocean State nursing home residents who rely on Medicaid to receive health care.

Congressman Amo serves on the House Committee on the Budget, whose chief responsibility is to draft an annual concurrent resolution on the budget that directs specific committees to achieve spending cuts or increases. Republicans leaked menu of options for this resolution includes:

• At least $880 billion in cuts for the Energy and Commerce Committee, which could target Medicaid, Affordable Care Act premium assistance, and repeal Inflation Reduction Act policies.
• At least $230 billion in cuts for the Agriculture Committee, which could target the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
• At least $1 billion in cuts for the Financial Services Committee, which could target the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and funding for financial regulators.
• Up to $4.5 trillion in new spending for the Ways and Means Committee, which could direct massive tax cuts for the top one percent.

On February 13, Congressman Amo offered an amendment to the Republican budget resolution that would have protected and extended Medicare’s solvency by closing tax loopholes and requiring wealthy taxpayers to contribute more to Medicare.

On February 19, Congressman Amo visited the Barrington Peck Center for Adult Enrichment where he spoke about his work to protect critical programs like Medicare and Medicaid from Republican cuts.

On February 25, Congressman Amo spoke on the House Floor to slam the Republican budget resolution that threatens devastating cuts to critical programs. The day before, Congressman Amo submitted two amendments to the House Committee on Rules — including one that 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.