Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, as Americans enjoy Labor Day weekend, let us reflect on the origin of this holiday: working people's fight for fairness.

That fight runs deep in Rhode Island. In 1824, at Old Slater Mill in Pawtucket, workers led the first industrial strike in history, demanding fair pay and better conditions.

More than a century later, thousands of Rhode Island textile workers walked off the job in the 1934 general textile strike. They stood up because they knew that workers deserved better, but they were met with violence by the authorities, leading to the deaths of several workers in Saylesville and Woonsocket.

Now, building on that legacy, I stand with Rhode Island workers and workers across our country to keep fighting for good jobs, fair wages, safe workplaces, and the right to organize.

We are stronger when we represent the dignity of those who make this Nation strong.

Mr. Speaker, 19 months ago, President Trump took an axe to our foreign assistance, illegally freezing aid and demolishing the United States Agency for International Development. Thirteen days later, he ranted that USAID was ``run by a bunch of radical lunatics.'' The very next day, Elon Musk bragged that DOGE had ``spent the weekend feeding USAID into the wood chipper.'' Well, the chips fell, and kids died.

When I asked Secretary Rubio about the consequences, he told me: No children are dying on my watch. A year later, the hatchet men were still lying. Children are still dying.

Elon Musk recently proclaimed that he cannot cite a single name of someone who died because of aid cuts. Just because Elon can't name one of the 700,000 people killed by his cruelty doesn't mean they didn't exist. We know their names.

Abdullahi Ibrahim was 10 years old when USAID-supported asthma treatment disappeared from his clinic in Nigeria. His family could no longer afford his medication. He suffered a fatal asthma attack.

Mohammed Hashim was 2 years old. When food assistance disappeared from his refugee camp in Myanmar, he died of starvation.

Gbessy Kiadu was only a 1-year-old. He died of malaria after clinics in western Liberia ran out of malaria medication because of USAID cuts.

These are not just statistics. These are children. They had parents, dreams, and full lives ahead of them.

Today, the warning signs are flashing that if these cuts continue, hundreds of thousands of additional children could die every year.

Abdullahi, Mohammed, and Gbessy are three of the more than 700,000 no longer with us because of Trump's choice to close USAID and decimate U.S. foreign assistance programs.

We are seeing the consequences in Nepal, where deaths have risen after Trump's cuts to lifesaving maternal health programs.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, cuts to USAID-funded disease-detection systems delayed detection and response to the Ebola outbreak. It is now the worst outbreak on record, with nearly 3,000 people dead and over 6,000 confirmed cases.

Make no mistake, America is paying a price, too. Shuttering USAID eliminated more than 23,000 American jobs.

American farmers and manufacturers who supply food products to USAID were left struggling. From peanut farmers in Texas to sugar farmers in Florida, to American longshoremen moving food through our ports to manufacturers in my home State of Rhode Island, Trump's cuts left wounds across the country.

Cuts to USAID disease monitoring and prevention systems leave Americans at greater risk of disease. As the COVID-19 pandemic clearly showed us, disease does not care about borders. Eliminating global health programs puts us at greater risk of a future pandemic.

American security on the world stage is suffering, too, as Trump backs away from our strongest soft power tool: helping others.

American taxpayers lost the return on an investment that made our country safer and stronger. Our foreign assistance was never charity. It was about American leadership, security, and workers producing food, medicine, and lifesaving technology. It told the world something powerful: When America gives its word, America keeps it.

As the USAID logo reminded the world, it was from the American people. Now, that good will is gone because Trump threw that promise into the wood chipper. Our allies are left wondering whether they can trust us. Our adversaries are filling the vacuum. Families are burying children who might have lived.

Mr. Speaker, as we look to the future, let's be clear about what we must do. We must rebuild American foreign assistance, restore American leadership, hold accountable those who recklessly dismantle these programs, and remember every single life that was lost. Abdullahi was not a number, Mohammed was not a statistic, and Gbessy will not be forgotten. They were children. They were loved. They should be with us today.

Mr. Speaker, the data is in, and Trump's and Republicans' big, ugly law has been disastrous for Americans.

We can now confirm that they have succeeded in ripping food assistance

away from 4.5 million SNAP recipients, including 1.5 million children.

In Rhode Island alone, that is over 16,000 people who are now heading to the grocery store with less to spend as costs rise because of Trump's tariffs and illegal wars.

Across my district, I have spoken with food pantry leaders seeing rising demand. I have heard from Rhode Islanders struggling to feed a family on $90 a month in SNAP benefits.

In the wealthiest country in the world, no one should have to worry about putting food on the table. We can do better than Trump's foreign wars and putting billionaires over the welfare of working people.

Mr. Chairman, is this Groundhog Day? We must be stuck in some kind of infinite time loop because Republicans are trying to ram through a third unpopular, deficit-busting resolution that does nothing to lower costs for Americans. This is on top of cuts to healthcare and their continued investments in cruelty.

Unfortunately, this is actually happening. Republicans are trying to pass another bad budget, and all this for the farm aid that Republicans are touting as necessary because Trump's illegal war in Iran and chaotic tariffs jacked up costs for farmers.

The billions in defense funding that Republicans claim is necessary for Trump's choice to wage the illegal Iran war depleted our stockpiles, and the only necessary action that my constituents are imploring Republicans to take, lowering costs for the American people, is completely missing from this failing effort.

Republicans are running up billions of dollars on America's credit card so that they can send our servicemembers to fight another forever war in the Middle East. They are working to pass a voter suppression bill that won't secure our elections but will make it harder for Americans to vote.

My Republican colleagues tell Americans that they are working for them. The American people are smarter than that. They know what Republicans are doing, and they will not forgive them for what they have done.

I urge every Member to vote ``no'' on this latest bad budget.

Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to H.R. 8595.

This disastrous bill doesn't just turn America's back on the world. It makes Americans less safe and more vulnerable to disease.

An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda has taken more than 700 lives and infected more than 1,900 people. American citizens have already been infected, and the outbreak will spread if we fail to contain it.

Republicans' solution? Ban the United States from supporting the World Health Organization, the group coordinating the response to the Ebola outbreak.

The story of outbreaks fueled by Republican shortsighted cuts does not end there. Here at home, we are responding to a growing cyclospora outbreak that has sickened more than 1,600 people across more than 30 States, with thousands more cases under investigation.

Public health officials are still working to identify the source of the outbreak. They are facing an uphill battle thanks to Trump and Republicans' deep cuts to the CDC's public health workforce and the program that monitors foodborne illness.

The cause and effect is clear. When Republicans slash public health funding and stop monitoring the spread of disease, Americans get sick.

For this reason, at the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to recommit this bill back to committee. If the House rules permitted, I would have offered the motion with an important amendment to this bill.

My amendment would strike provisions that prohibit U.S. participation in international public health efforts through the World Health Organization and the pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response accord.

Disease prevention and surveillance at home and abroad protect American families. Infectious diseases do not stop at borders. We are safest when we work with partners around the world to detect outbreaks early, share information, and respond before disease reaches our borders.

Mr. Chair, I include in the Record the text of my amendment.

Mr. Amo moves to recommit the bill H.R. 8595 to the

Committee on Appropriations with the following amendment:

On page 212, strike lines 10 through 17.

I hope my colleagues will join me in voting for the motion to recommit.

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the generations of Rhode Islanders who have come together for the longest continuously running Fourth of July celebration, in Bristol, Rhode Island.

Since 1785, when the Reverend Henry Wight, a Revolutionary War veteran and minister of the First Congregational Church, hosted Bristol's first patriotic exercises, Rhode Islanders have gathered to celebrate our values of liberty, community, freedom, and prosperity.

For 241 years, Rhode Islanders from all walks of life and visitors from all over the world have come together to walk along the famous red, white, and blue center lines snaking down the middle of the parade route.

By the time the town welcomes as many as 200,000 visitors to its community, the town committee, the police department, the fire department, and the Fourth of July committee have worked around the clock for months to pull off a safe and spectacular event.

As the crowds and the music swell this weekend, I thank all who have made this event possible. Happy Fourth of July.

Mr. Speaker, Trump's corruption is out of control. Since taking office, he has increased his net worth by at least $4 billion, accepted a $400 million plane from a foreign country, routinely bought stock in companies doing business with the government,

and wasted $14 million of taxpayer money ruining the Reflecting Pool.

He has tried to bully the IRS into a sweetheart deal that grants him tax immunity for life and, if he can get away with it, establishes a slush fund to pay off cop beaters.

His kids and cronies are also getting rich. Trump intervened to secure Donald Trump, Jr., a $620 million deal with the Pentagon for his startup. Multiple Cabinet members have conveniently sold stocks right before one of Trump's erratic tariff announcements. His clan has made $2.3 billion in crypto schemes. Trump's priority is to enrich himself and his acolytes.

My Republican colleagues need to stand up, do the right thing, and stop the grift, greed, and graft from further imperiling our democracy.

Mr. Speaker, on June 8, 2026, I intended to vote YES on Roll Call No. 208, Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended H.R. 8466.

Mr. Speaker, House Republicans are making it harder for moms and kids to get the food they need.

WIC, or the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, has provided mothers and babies with healthy food and a solid start in life.

Needy families use it to purchase formula, fruits, veggies, milk, and other nutritious essentials. Yet, House Republicans just slashed this vital benefit by 10 percent in their agriculture spending bill, making it 10 percent harder for 18,000 Rhode Islanders to make ends meet.

Because of Trump's latest cruelty, moms will go to sleep every night fearing their kids will go without. Without proper nutrition, kids are denied growth, learning, and opportunity.

Republicans can always find money for billionaires, but how is it they can't find money for moms and babies?

Mr. Speaker, every kid deserves enough to eat. It is time to stop the cuts, end the chaos, and bring down costs.

Mr. Speaker, when I first heard the bill's name, I thought somebody said: less Secure America Act. After reading it, I realize that is what it is.

Republicans already handed Trump's immigration machine a massive windfall in their big, ugly law as they cut your healthcare. Now, they are back for more. This latest scheme is about pouring $70 billion into ICE and CBP while leaving untouched Trump's $1.8 billion slush fund for his political allies and January 6 cop beaters.

It does nothing to lower costs, nothing to stop corruption, and nothing to help working families. Think about that. If you are worried about your grocery costs or your utility bills, Republicans have nothing for you. If you are worried about your healthcare costs, Republicans have nothing for you. If you are worried about affording childcare, Republicans have nothing for you. If you are Donald Trump, looking for billions more to expand ICE and bankroll more abuses of power, Republicans are happy to write the check with your money.

This bill isn't about security. It is about cruelty, corruption, and misplaced priorities. You deserve better than this latest, devious deception. The American people deserve lower costs, safer communities, and a government that works for them, not another blank check for Trump's chaos.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote on Republicans' latest betrayal.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to reveal a theft from the American people. Donald Trump is stealing our money. At every turn, he is taking money from Americans' bank accounts to pad his pockets and those of his billionaire buddies.

His tariffs, which were twice ruled illegal, cost the average working family of four $1,700 last year. At the gas pump, Americans have collectively paid an extra $40 billion to fuel up since the start of this war of choice with Iran.

What is Trump's latest grift?

It is an over $1.7 billion taxpayer-funded slush fund to pay off his cronies who have been convicted of crimes, including the dangerous felons who attacked the Capitol on January 6.

Donald Trump is abusing power and weakening our democracy, and Republicans in Congress are complicit by refusing to act.

Enough with the greed and the corruption. End the war, stop the chaos, and let's do something to lower costs for the American people.

Mr. Speaker, recently Trump's Agriculture Secretary bragged with great pride about kicking 4.5 million Americans off of SNAP.

At a time when Republicans' tariffs and wars have jacked up grocery prices, it is not good news that Trump and Republicans are making Americans hungrier.

SNAP provides the bare minimum, just enough. But it means that kids in Woonsocket can focus on school and not on an empty stomach. It means moms in Pawtucket can worry a little less if there is enough on the breakfast table. It means veterans in Middletown have breathing room on their decisions to pay the light bill or buy food. It means seniors in Smithfield might not skip a prescription refill to eat.

Celebrating ripping away 4.5 million American SNAP benefits is immoral and wrong.

If this administration actually wanted to help families, they would lower costs, not take away food and make life more expensive.

We have to protect SNAP.

Mr. Speaker, Rhode Islanders have had enough of Trump's reign of terror. Across my State, they know when so-called enforcement becomes intimidation, when profiling and abuse are rampant, and when accountability is absent.

Now, instead of restoring trust or lowering costs, Republicans are doing it again. Their first big, ugly bill ripped billions out of our healthcare system that will make millions sicker and poorer, all to spend $170 billion on ICE and CBP's rogue tactics.

Now this budget doubles down on that spending spree, dumping another $70 billion of taxpayer funding into the same cruel system without any reforms.

So here it is. They are using your money not to lower costs for gas, groceries, rent, or healthcare, not to help people, but to fund raids, roundups, and fear in American communities.

I will not stand by while costs rise, rights are trampled, and working families are left behind. So we have a

choice. Use your tax dollars to fund masked men and their masked raids or help families put food on the table, keep a roof over their head, and stay healthy.

I choose families. I urge a ``no'' vote on this latest Republican budget betrayal.

Mr. Speaker, last week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was asked why Americans don't feel better

about the economy. His answer: ``Well in their heart of hearts they feel good.''

Let him tell that to the families in Pawtucket who are paying more at the grocery store and at the doctor's office, or seniors in Smithfield choosing between prescriptions and rent, or drivers paying over $4 a gallon to fill up for their commute from the East Bay or Aquidneck Island.

Working families don't feel Trump's economy in their hearts. They feel it in their wallets. This administration needs to stop the gaslighting. Trump's tariffs illegally took billions from American consumers for everyday goods, and he won't give a dime back.

Instead of fighting an unlawful war in Iran, they should be focused on lowering costs here at home. If they want people to feel good, then do good.

Mr. Speaker, stop the war, end the chaos, and make life affordable for Americans.