Representative Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) released a message providing a rationale for his vote against the government funding bill, a continuing resolution passed by House Republicans. The bill, which funds the government through September, passed by a tally of 217-213 along party lines. One Republican voted no (Rep. Massie), and another did not vote (Rep. Tim Moore). One Democrat voted for the bill (Rep. Golden), and another did not vote (Rep. Grijalva).
Rep. Moskowitz claims that the bill would "fail to protect the programs American families depend on," critical programs at that.
"This bill threatens to cut funding from a whole host of critical government programs—everything from healthcare and nutritional assistance to veterans benefits and disaster relief," said Rep. Moskowitz. "It slashes resources from care for veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances, and it risks throwing thousands of seniors, veterans, and individuals living with disabilities out of their homes. Cuts like these quite simply do not help Florida families."
Moreover, the Florida representative mentioned that the three most important social programs (Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security) in America are not protected by this CR.
"In our district alone, more than 80,000 Floridians depend on Medicare, and nearly 160,000 use Social Security to pay rent, get around, and put food on the table. More than 100,000 Floridians in our district depend on Medicaid for their healthcare, including seniors, children, and individuals living with disabilities, and this bill puts their coverage at risk," Moskowitz said. "I’ve always stood up for Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, and I wasn’t going to let the threats to these programs go unchecked—so I took action."
Moskowitz took a shot at Republicans for stalling his "straightforward" legislation that would stop the Executive Branch from cutting the three aforementioned programs and said he'll continue to fight to protect these programs for his constituents.
"As long as I’m representing Broward and Palm Beach Counties, I’ll never support threats to Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and other earned benefit programs. Too many seniors and working families depend on them to access healthcare and put food on the table, and it’s critical that we stand united with these Floridians behind the programs they rely on," said Moskowitz.
He concluded by expanding on the notion that he would look out for Floridians.
"So while this bill wasn’t close to what it should be for our working families, I’m going to keep fighting for the policies that WILL support hard-working Floridians—efforts like my bills to expand the Child Tax Credit, improve seniors’ access to hearing aids, and lower the sky-high cost of insurance for homeowners. These are commonsense proposals that will make a real difference for seniors and working families—and these are the sorts of proposals that Congress should be focused on," Moskowitz stated.
Jared Moskowitz represents Florida's 23rd Congressional District.
