New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slammed President Donald Trump’s domestic megabill as a “deal with the devil” in an emotional speech on the House floor.
The House of Representatives returned to business on Wednesday to take up the Senate’s version of Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill.” In her speech, Ocasio-Cortez referred to one of Trump’s top campaign promises included in the legislation, no taxes on tips, as a “scam” as she referenced her own past work as a bartender.
“On this point of tax on tips, as one of the only people in this body who has lived off of tips, I want to tell you a little bit about the scam of that text, a little bit of the fine print there,” said Ocasio-Cortez, before going on to note that the provision has a limit of $25,000 per year. The legislation doesn’t include the tax break for those earning more than $150,000 a year.
The congresswoman argued that the bill would be “jacking up” taxes for lower-income Americans. The legislation extends tax cuts initially passed in 2017 during Trump’s first stint in the White House.
She then mentioned the suggested cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
“The cap on that is $25,000 while you’re jacking up taxes on people who make less than $50,000 across the United States, while taking away their SNAP, while taking away their Medicaid, while kicking them off of the ACA and their health care extensions,” she said. “So if you’re at home and you’re living off tips, you do the math. Is that worth it to you? Losing all your health care, not being able to feed your babies, not being able to put a diaper on their bottom in exchange for what? This bill is a deal with the devil.”
According to a poll of 800 voters in Ocasio-Cortez's home state by Siena College, New York voters believe, by a 52 to 28 percent margin, that Trump’s legislation would make life worse for a majority of Americans. Meanwhile, 61 percent supported removing income taxes on tips, while 21 percent opposed the measure. Empire State voters also backed requiring healthy adult Medicaid recipients to work to get benefits by a margin of 48 to 32 percent. They are also strongly opposed to cutting corporate taxes and cutting SNAP benefits for the poor.
Ocasio-Cortez told members of the GOP on Wednesday that they should be “ashamed.”
“It explodes our national debt. It militarizes our entire economy and it strips away healthcare and basic dignity of the American people — for what?” she added. “To give Elon Musk a tax break and billionaires the greedy taking of our nation. We cannot stand for it, and we will not support it. You should be ashamed.”
