Scott Votes Against GOP’s Big, Bad Billionaires’ Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and Workforce and a member of the House Committee on the Budget, issued the following statement after voting against the Republicans’ Big, Bad Billionaires’ Bill:

“House Republicans have voted to add $3.8 trillion to the national debt in order to shovel massive tax breaks to billionaires and corporations. And they will make America’s middle class and working families pay the price. Under the Republicans’ Big, Bad Billionaire’s Bill, over 4 million students are estimated to have their Pell Grants reduced or eliminated, over 18 million children are estimated to lose access to free school meals, and over 13 million people are set to lose their health care coverage.  

“Specifically, it will cut students’ access to Pell Grants, drastically lower the amount of federal loans students can take out, that will either deny them the opportunity to get a college degree or force students into unaffordable repayment plans with no opportunity for debt relief for thirty years and push them into high-cost, predatory private loans.

“For years, we have heard Congressional Republicans preach about fiscal responsibility and complain about the national debt and deficits. Yet they just voted for a bill that will add trillions of dollars to the national debt. And that comes as no surprise, because Every Republican administration since President Nixon has left for their Democratic successors a worse budget deficit than the one they inherited. And every Democratic administration since President Kennedy has left for their Republican successors a better deficit situation than they one they inherited. All without exception.

“This Big, Bad Billionaires’ Bill is a collection of terrible policies. It kicks millions of people off their health care, threatens food security for millions of families, and makes it harder for students to afford a college education. It does all of this to fund tax breaks for millionaires, billionaires and corporations.  And it makes the national debt and annual deficits worse than it would be if we did nothing. It is no wonder why Republicans rammed this bill through multiple committees in the dead of night.”

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