‘Actually Try and Balance a Budget!’ House Dem Flips the Script On GOP Colleagues In Rant About Out of Control Spending

House Democrat Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-VI), who serves as the delegate from the Virgin Islands, fumed during a House Committee meeting ahead of a vote on President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill.” The GOP-led Budget Committee eventually voted down the sweeping legislation to enact Trump’s domestic agenda, but not until after Plaskett lectured her GOP colleagues on fiscal responsibility – trying to flip the script on partisan politics as usual.

“We have come to the end of a very long week here in Washington. Anyone watching now will likely have watched this week as we worked through the night. Starting on Tuesday, the Ways and Means Committee spent over 18 hours working through the night and into Wednesday, trying to avert the catastrophic impact that this legislation will have,” Plaskett began, adding:

We watched Republicans give away the farm to greedy billionaires, the CEOs and corporations, making permanent tax cuts for the richest and trying to trick the rest of Americans with a set of minuscule measures that are all temporary and only serve to pull the wool over taxpayers’ eyes. Tax cuts they were talking about? Temporary. Tips? Temporary. Taxes for the wealthy? Permanent. Don’t be fooled. It’s about the wealthy people in this country, not you and me.

Our Republican colleagues in the Energy and Commerce Committee tried to rip away healthcare from Americans that need it to pay for their giveaways to big corporations and the rich. Republicans are stealing from the poor and giving to the rich, feeding the king from the people’s forest, from their own communities, while cosplaying as Robin Hoods.

My colleagues talk about a strong country. We’re going to be weaker because of this legislation. You can believe that.

And listen, when Democrats were in charge, we instituted so many things that expanded work for all Americans. We increased healthcare. We guaranteed safe, affordable, high-quality child care for every worker and family. We supported new energy. We supported growing this economy. Democrats temporarily expanded the child tax credit, giving so many children a chance. And we did this in a manner because we were concerned about the deficit.

Listen, I’m concerned with SNAP. I’m concerned with Medicaid, Pell Grants, energy manufacturing. Those are important to me. That represents trillions of dollars that they have cut.

“But if they’re really interested in being fiscally responsible, then don’t give such big cuts to the rich. Actually, try and balance a budget!” Plaskett demanded, staking out the more fiscally conservative ground.

“Actually try and bring down the deficit. If you want to take away all of those things from the neediest, take away some stuff from the rich as well. But you don’t want to do that. You want to give them more off of the backs of American people,” she added, concluding:

You’re going to cut SNAP by $300 billion. Medicaid, healthcare for the poorest? $700 billion. You won’t even give a cut to individuals making over a billion dollars, which would have taken away a trillion dollars that we could put back into other things.

This is about the wealthy. This is not about the American people. I yield back.

Watch the clip above via C-SPAN.