During GOP Budget Betrayal Debate, Luján Leads Charge to Save SNAP

WATCH Senator Luján’s Floor Speech HERE

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Food and Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Organics, and Research, delivered a speech on the Senate floor offering an amendment to the Republican budget bill to save the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – to protect food assistance for kids, seniors, and veterans. All but two Republicans voted to keep these devastating cuts in the bill.

Last night, during the midnight hour as Democrats held the Senate floor, Senator Luján delivered a floor speech detailing how the Republican budget bill would devastate New Mexico’s families, farmers and ranchers, and children and seniors.

Senator Luján’s floor speech is available below:

Mr. President,

Recently, a Republican colleague said regarding this bill’s SNAP cuts: “if we don’t watch out, people are going to get hurt.”

He’s right. People are going to get hurt.

For the past 50 years, the United States of America has maintained a bipartisan promise to feed our children, our veterans, our seniors and our working families.

This bill betrays that promise. It cuts more than 1 trillion dollars from Medicaid and SNAP—cuts that will harm all of our constituents.

With this motion, I am offering my colleagues the opportunity to step away from these devastating cuts.

To show our fellow Americans that in this country, we care for our friends, family, and neighbors who need support.

I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle can agree that this is a promise worth keeping.

I yield back.

###