I have been a politician most of my adult life. I understand that politics can be difficult sometimes. But the brutal harm the Trump administration and Republican congressional leaders are unnecessarily inflicting on millions of Americans is shocking.
The basic facts are not hard to understand, even if the cruelty is hard to understand.
As part of a political power play over the budget, the chaotic Trump administration has decided to freeze billions of dollars that were supposed to fund SNAP payments — known to many as food stamps — leaving millions of families without access to food and forcing food banks across the country into emergency mode.
The administration has the money, power, and legal responsibility to make these payments, even during a government shutdown. They are not doing that. They are choosing to impose suffering on a massive scale.
That doesn’t mean putting Americans first — especially when that same administration somehow manages to find$40 billionIntervening in Argentina’s presidential election to help the president’s friend.
At the same time, millions of families are facing devastating and ineffectiveincrease in health care costsThat’s because Republicans have given the name horribly wrong.big, beautiful bill“Insanely large tax cuts for the richest Americans were prioritized over basic access to health care for millions of working families.
Millions of families will see their health insurance premiums skyrocket unless Republicans back downdouble, triple or worseat the beginning of the year.
Democrats in the Senate and House are waging a noble fight by refusing to go along with the Republican plan to strip health coverage from millions of families and push many others into financial crisis.
Undoubtedly, President Trump and the White House are dictating Republican strategy. But what’s going on with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.)? What is he doing other than earning an infamous place in history by overseeing a massive abdication of Congress’s responsibility and sacrifice of Congress’s authority?
Governing requires negotiation and compromise. But Johnson has shut down the House of Representatives for more than a month — and shut down the federal government for weeks — to force Democrats to acknowledge the brutal Republican budget and its abhorrent action on families’ health care.
johnson is also denied To Complete a basic responsibility Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) to be sworn in, more than a month after winning a special election 69 percent Voted to fill the seat previously held by his late father.
Johnson’s unreasonable refusal to swear in Grijalva, and his refusal to let the House come back into session to deal with the budget, food and health care crises created by his party, is deeply unprincipled.
In fact, there is good reason to suspect that there is a very bad reason for Johnson’s behavior. Grijalva will cast the deciding vote to force the Trump administration to disclose files on late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Watching Johnson stumble through outrageously bogus justifications for his actions makes me wonder: When. Johnson said God raised him up as Speaker of the House as an American Moses to lead our country through the Red Sea, did he imagine that his calling would be to take food out of the mouths of the people 40 million Americans And force millions of families to face devastating health insurance costs — all to protect a president who is potentially hiding embarrassing revelations in the Epstein files?
Mysterious ways indeed.
In their unquestioning loyalty to Trump, Republican leaders have lost their way. Making sure American children and families have enough to eat and can go to the doctor when they need them are not only compassionate policies, but also wise policies. They are good for the country and our future.
Voters, take note.
Svante Myrick is president of People for the American Way.
