Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slams Trump’s budget bill as ‘deal with the devil’ in fiery House speech

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slams Trump’s budget bill as ‘deal with the devil’ in fiery House speech
Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez denounced President Donald Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' as a 'scam' (Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC: Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took to the House floor and ripped into President Donald Trump’s "big, beautiful bill," dubbing it a literal “deal with the devil."

AOC took no prisoners as the House of Representatives reconvened Wednesday, July 2, to take up the Senate’s version of Trump’s massive legislative package, which he has been hyping as his “Big, Beautiful Bill."

The former bartender-turned-congresswoman zeroed in on one of the flashiest parts of the bill—a campaign-era promise to eliminate taxes on tips. “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,” she said.

The tip tax break reportedly only applies up to $25,000 in tip income per year — and only to people making under $150,000. According to Ocasio-Cortez, it’s nothing more than a distraction to hide the damage the bill could do to lower-income Americans.



 

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slams bill, tears into GOP

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez unloaded on the real cost of the bill, claiming it would hit lower-income families the hardest.

“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 warned.

“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," she added.

Her home state seems to agree. According to a new Siena College poll of 800 New York voters, a 52 to 28 percent majority believe Trump’s legislation would make life worse for most Americans. While 61 percent support the idea of removing income taxes on tips, voters are strongly against cuts to SNAP and corporate tax breaks. Meanwhile, 48 percent favor making healthy Medicaid recipients work for their benefits.

“It explodes our national debt. It militarizes our entire economy, and it strips away healthcare and basic dignity of the American people — for what?” AOC fumed. “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."



 

Donald Trump scores major win with his 'big, beautiful bill'

Despite the uproar, Team Trump pulled it off. After back-to-back sleepless sessions in both the House and Senate, Trump’s long-awaited “one big, beautiful bill” officially passed on Thursday afternoon.

The next stop is Trump’s desk, just in time for the Republicans’ self-imposed July 4th deadline.

The bill is jam-packed with Trump’s policies on tax, border, defense, energy, and the national debt. It narrowly passed the House in a tight 218–214 vote, with only two GOP members — Thomas Massie (R-Ky) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa) — breaking ranks to vote no.

For House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La), it was a hard-won victory. Johnson and Trump personally worked the phones all night, cajoling reluctant Republicans to get on board.

“The president is very engaged. He was very helpful in the process. He helped answer questions and articulate his vision and what this bill will mean for the country, and his agenda, and how urgent it is for us to get it done,” Johnson told reporters Thursday morning.



 

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