Washington, DC– Congressman Jim Himes (CT-04) today voted against Donald Trump’s budget reconciliation bill. The legislation passed the House by a vote of 218-214, with every Democrat voting NO.
“Today’s legislation is callous and cruel, fiscally irresponsible, and deeply unpopular with the American public,” said Congressman Himes. “But Republicans voted for it anyway because they’re more concerned with pacifying Donald Trump than doing right by the men, women and children they swore to represent. I’m furious that this bill will become law, but the fight doesn’t stop here. My colleagues across the aisle are going to have to explain to their constituents why they decided to deprive veterans of food assistance, force terminally ill children off health insurance, and chase grandparents out of nursing homes. You can be damn sure that I’ll be there to hold them accountable along the way.”
The Republican tax bill will force nearly 17 million Americans off of Medicaid, including an estimated 186,580 people in Connecticut, put 42 million Americans at risk of having their food assistance benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) taken away, raise household energy bills by over $100 per year, and increase the deficit by an estimated $3.1 trillion over 10 years. The bill now goes to the desk of President Trump to be signed into law.