Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer delivered a scathing rebuke on Thursday as Senate Republicans pushed through a sweeping rescissions package he said would gut public services, betray rural America, and protect tax breaks for billionaires.
Calling it a “dark day for America,” Schumer condemned the bill as a reckless and cruel extension of what he labeled Trump’s “slash-and-burn” agenda.
“Last night, while Americans were asleep, Senate Republicans gutted critical funding for local TV and radio, for foreign aid that keeps America safe, all to keep paying for their billionaire tax cuts,” Schumer said on the Senate floor.
He warned that the package cuts deeply into emergency communication infrastructure, including the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which supports lifesaving radio and TV alerts during natural disasters. “When parents see that Republicans just axed educational programming, when people see that Republicans just axed Sesame Street to pay for tax cuts to billionaires… the consequences will be severe,” he said.
Schumer emphasized that the cuts will be felt nationwide, particularly in rural communities that rely on public broadcasting during emergencies like hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes. “It just defies common sense,” he added.
He also accused Republicans of pushing the bill through without public scrutiny. “The Republicans have become the party of ‘Cut, Cut, Cut now; Ask questions later,’” he said. “Cut healthcare for seventeen million Americans. Cut food assistance for hungry kids. Cut good-paying energy jobs and let Beijing get ahead of us.”
Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand echoed the concerns. “I’m appalled that Senate Republicans voted to slash funding for the programs that our rural communities rely on,” she said. “These cuts will have a particularly devastating impact in rural communities, where stations rely heavily on CPB funding to stay afloat.”
Gillibrand warned the loss of funding would endanger lives during natural disasters and undermine early childhood education. “At a time when misinformation is rampant, taking away this content is dangerous and irresponsible,” she said.
Schumer connected the rescissions package to the earlier “Big Ugly Bill,” which Democrats say also prioritized tax cuts over social programs. “We saw a lot of squirming last night,” Schumer said. “Republicans can continue to bow in obeisance to Donald Trump, and rubber stamp whatever cuts he tells them to make.”
He concluded with a warning: “If Republicans keep going down this road… the harms to the American people will be devastating.”
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