BARRIERS TO BENEFITS

On 2026-07-16, Representative Madeleine Dean (D-PA-4) delivered a floor speech titled "BARRIERS TO BENEFITS" in the House.

BARRIERS TO BENEFITS

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 116 (Thursday, July 16, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 116 (Thursday, July 16, 2026)] [House] [Pages H4547-H4548] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] BARRIERS TO BENEFITS (Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.) Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, this month, as our country celebrated 250 years of American democracy, a moment for profound reflection and unity, instead my Republican colleagues rejoiced in one year of the big, beautiful bill. It was anything but beautiful. SNAP cuts have literally taken food out of the mouths of babes, kicking 1.5 [[Page H4548]] million children from nutrition assistance, leaving families hungry and afraid for tomorrow. Because of this now-law, Medicare cuts have left seniors facing life-threatening barriers to healthcare. Martin Luther King once said: ``Of all forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and inhumane.'' When you consider that this bill is on track to cost our Nation $3.4 trillion, it becomes even more nonsensical, destabilizing, and cruel. That seems to be the point. Our Founding Fathers believed--in fact, endangered their very lives-- on the unmovable belief of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for those fortunate to call our Nation home. Ripping healthcare coverage, nutrition, and security from our most vulnerable is no way to honor our guiding principles. ____________________