Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi’s Opening Remarks at Subcommittee Hearing on Republican Efforts to Sabotage Federal Assistance Programs

Washington, D.C. (May 7, 2025). Below is Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi's opening statement, as prepared for delivery, at today's Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services hearing on the Trump Administration's attacks on federal investment programs that provide a lifeline for people and families in financial need.  

Opening Statement
Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi 
Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services
"Examining the Growth of the Welfare State, Part II"
May 7, 2025

Mr. Chairman, thank you for convening this hearing, though I must once again express my frustration with its premise. 

I, myself, am a product of the very life-sustaining programs this hearing is attacking.  Programs that, time and again, have been proven to lift individuals out of poverty, stabilize families in times of crisis, and build the foundation for long-term economic mobility and growth.

At our last hearing, Majority witnesses spent their time demeaning recipients of the social safety net, rather than offering bipartisan solutions to make these programs more effective.  Slashing the budgets of these critical lifelines will not magically eliminate inefficiencies.  What it will do is inflict real, immediate harm on our constituents.  No matter if they live in red states or blue states.

Children will go to bed hungry.  Seniors will forgo lifesaving medications.  Hardworking families, many of whom are already working multiple jobs, will face the agonizing choice between paying rent and putting food on the table.  We must not lose sight of the real-life consequences of these policy debates.

The truth is that the overwhelming majority of recipients of these programs are not abusing the system.  They are doing everything they can to survive and improve their lives, while continuing to contribute meaningfully to our society.

I'm so passionate about the benefits of the safety net because I've experienced them.  When my family immigrated to this country, we fell on hard times and utilized public housing and SNAP's predecessor: the Food Stamp program.

These programs sustained my parents until they were able to get good quality jobs.  My parents realized the American Dream, and they never took it for granted.  I haven't either.

Every night, my father would tell us:  "Think of the greatness of this country.  Whatever you do, make sure it is there for the next families who need it".  That has been, and will continue to be, my mission statement in Congress.

According to H. Con. Res 14, the House Republican's instruction in the budget resolution, SNAP and Medicaid programs will be cut by $1.1 trillion.  That's trillion with a T. There is no plausible way that these deep budget cuts will only rid the safety net of waste, fraud, and abuse.

If Republicans go through with their budget plan, kids will go to sleep hungry because their parents lost their SNAP benefits.  Millions will lose their health care coverage. 

These cuts will be catastrophic.

Funding tax breaks for special interests and the wealthiest by gutting lifesaving and life-changing programs is disgraceful. 

I am proud of what these programs have allowed my family and millions of others to achieve.  I have no intention of letting a generation be sacrificed just so that the most privileged among us can continue to grow their bank accounts.

I yield back.