House Democrats — and one Republican — pulled no punches as they argued against the passage of President Donald Trump’s policy package — titled the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — during what became a fractious middle-of-the-night debate Wednesday into Thursday.
Reps. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) all railed against the proposed legislation that seeks to slash trillions of dollars in taxes for the most wealthy and cut federal health and nutrition programs.
“Hunger is a political condition,” fumed McGovern. “We have the money. We have the infrastructure. We know what to do to end it. We have everything to end it but the political will. And you bring to the floor a bill that robs from poor people, takes money away from the most incredible food assistance program in the world. And you take that and you use it not to end hunger but to pay for tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires. That is shameful. That is shameful.”
The bill is “rotten,” “ugly” and a “monstrosity,” and “Republicans just don’t care,” he said at another point.
McGovern further slammed Republicans for attempting to pass the bill so late at night: “Some people may be wondering why are we debating this bill at 1:20 in the morning, which is prime time in Guam. It’s because they are ashamed of what they are bringing to this House floor. And they should be ashamed.”
After Rep. Dan Meuser (R-Pa.) claimed in a rant backing the bill that it’s actually about “caring about America,” McGovern simply shot back, “Boy, that was weird.”
Frost, meanwhile, pointed out some “very clear and truthful” things about the budget: “Laws for gun manufacturers to make more money off of the death of children and our people? Yes. Food for children to eat? No. Health care for seniors, disabled Americans and millions more? No. Resources to help working families fight to ends meet? No.”
“This is why they’ve been told to not host any town halls back in their districts. That’s why this debate is happening in the middle of the night,” he added. “It’s nothing short of theft.”
Frost also railed: “Republicans would have us believe that the person most likely to steal from you is a Black person in a hoodie or an immigrant with tattoos.”
“This is to distract from the fact that at least here, tonight, the people stealing from Americans are not folks with tattoos and hoodies,” he continued. “It’s people wearing suits and ties and congressional pins sitting in this Capitol right now, not in some random alley wrapped in darkness but in the United States Congress wrapped in the flag. It is disgusting and we will never forget this.”
Ocasio-Cortez warned “there will be consequences” for the GOP from the American people.
Hayes argued: “Every provision in this program is cruel and they know it.”
“That’s why none of them spoke on it in committee,” she said. “That’s why they were silent in budget. That’s why they have nothing to say. That’s why they have no response. That’s why they don’t hold town halls. That’s why they don’t answer questions. All they do is tweet, repeat and hide in the back until they vote yes.”
And Massie warned of the bill: “We are not rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic tonight. We’re putting coal in the boiler and setting a course for the iceberg. If something is ‘beautiful,’ you don’t do it after midnight. I oppose this bill.”