Democrat Warned To 'Avoid Vulgar Speak' When Ripping Trump-Backed Bill
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A Democratic congressman was chided Wednesday after he accused Republicans of "s*******" on the middle class by trying to shepherd the One Big Beautiful Bill Act through the House of Representatives after it passed the Senate by the barest of margins.
Why It Matters
The episode underscored the deep tensions surrounding President Donald Trump's flagship legislation, officially named the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which has drawn sharp rebuke from Democrats as well as some Republicans ahead of a looming self-imposed July 4 deadline for final passage.
The Trump-backed bill aims to make permanent sweeping tax cuts passed during Trump's first term that disproportionately benefit wealthier Americans. It also increases funding for border security and immigration enforcement.
The tax cuts and immigration initiatives are paid for largely by deep spending reductions in Medicaid and food assistance programs, which critics say harm working-class, elderly and low-income Americans.
According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the measure could result in 11.8 million more uninsured Americans by 2034 and add nearly $3.3 trillion to the federal deficit over the next decade.
Rep. Josh Riley, D-N.Y., listens during the House Agriculture Committee markup the "Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025" in the Longworth House Office Building on Tuesday, June 10, 2025.
Rep. Josh Riley, D-N.Y., listens during the House Agriculture Committee markup the "Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025" in the Longworth House Office Building on Tuesday, June 10, 2025.
Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via AP Images
What To Know
On Wednesday, while the legislation was being debated in the House of Representatives, Democratic Representative Josh Riley delivered an impassioned speech accusing his colleagues across the aisle of "s******* on the middle class."
"Where I come from, we make things," the New York congressman said. "Generations woke up before the crack of dawn, went off to the factory, punched a clock, worked their hands to the bone, came home and counted nickels to make sure they could keep a roof over their kids' heads, keep food on the kids' tables."
He went on: "All we've asked for is a fair shot and for this place to stop screwing us over. But you can't help yourselves. You got us into terrible trade deals that made Wall Street rich and shipped all of our jobs overseas. You bail out the banks while neglecting rural America. You rigged the economy so the corporate [political action committees] that are funding your campaigns make huge profits, jacking up costs on folks who can't afford it."
"And now this. This bill will kill good, blue-collar manufacturing jobs that we need to rebuild the economy in this country," Riley said. "It closes rural hospitals. It defunds healthcare. All to give trillions of dollars in tax cuts to your cronies."
He concluded: "Don't tell me you give a s*** about the middle class when all you are doing is s******* on the middle class."
Republican Representative Steve Womack, the debate chairman, stepped in to warn Riley over his language, telling his colleague to "avoid vulgar speak" and adding, "We do have families."
This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
6 minutes ago
Trump admin live updates: Jeffries' marathon speech continues as final megabill vote looms
Trump's megabill cleared a key procedural hurdle overnight after GOP drama. 3:34 After hours of Republican drama, the House on Thursday morning was nearing a final vote on President Donald Trump's sweeping tax cut and spending bill. Trump helped Speaker Mike Johnson pressure GOP holdouts into flipping their no votes to allow the measure to go forward in time to meet the president's self-imposed July Fourth deadline. Republican fiscal hawks were upset that the Senate version being voted is projected to add roughly $1 trillion more to the deficit than what the House passed back in May. 76 Updates Jun 30, 2025, 3:33 PM EDT Democrats use early hours of vote-a-rama to highlight cuts to Medicaid, SNAP Democrats are using Monday's "vote-a-rama" to highlight cuts they say President Trump's megabill will make to Medicaid, SNAP and rural hospitals -- and to hammer in the tax cuts they say this bill gives to the wealthiest Americans. So far, Republicans have defeated all Democratic efforts to modify or reconsider the bill. The Senate voted down 47-53 an amendment led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer that he said would have undone "the travesty that is at the core of the Republican bill." "Their bill -- the so-called big beautiful bill, which is really a big, ugly betrayal -- cuts taxes for billionaires by taking away health care for millions of people. So what my amendment simply says -- if people's health care costs go up, the billionaire tax cuts vanish," Schumer said. Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo, a Republican, argued against Schumer's amendment, saying he incorrectly framed what the bill does. "The reality is, the reforms we are putting into place are to try to reign in control of wasteful and fraudulent and abusive spending that actually diverts resources away from the people who these programs really deserve to receive," Crapo said. Democratic Sen. Ed Markey's effort to strip provisions that he said would negatively impact rural hospitals due to cuts to Medicaid also failed, but did receive the support of two Republicans: Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the top Democrat on the Senate Agriculture committee, argued that the SNAP provisions in the bill create "chaos for state budgets and hardship for families" and violate budget rules. Her motion was waived by Republicans. "The largest unfunded mandate is on the back of kids and veterans and seniors and people with disabilities," Klobuchar said. "It's hurting local grocery stores, it's hurting our farmers and it's all done to pay for tax cuts to the wealthy. I say to our colleagues: vote for families over billionaires." -ABC News' Allison Pecorin President Trump sent a handwritten note to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell calling on him to lower interest rates, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during Monday's briefing. Leavitt held up the note to reporters, which appeared to have been written by Trump using his signature black Sharpie. "I bring to you original correspondence from the president of the United States to our Fed Chair, Jerome Powell," she said. The paper included a list of interest rates from other nations, including Japan and the United Kingdom, which are lower than that of the U.S. A note written on top of the chart read, "Jerome, you are, as usual, 'too late.' You have cost the USA a fortune and continue to do so. You should lower the rate - by a lot! Hundreds of billions of dollars are being lost! No inflation." "I would remind the Fed chair, and I would remind the entire world that this is a president who was a businessman first, and he knows what he is doing," Leavitt said. "He has a proven economic formula that worked in his first term as president, and it is working again. The one problem that remains is high interest rates for the American people. The American people want to borrow money cheaply, and they should be able to do that. But unfortunately, we have interest rates that are still too high. So, the president sent this note to the Fed chair today." Jun 30, 2025, 1:46 PM EDT White House urges Republicans to stay unified on Trump megabill The White House had a message for Republicans on Monday as lawmakers rush to try to pass President Trump's megabill before his July 4 deadline. "Republicans need to stay tough and unified during the home stretch, and we are counting on them to get the job done," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at her briefing. Leavitt was asked about the bill's prospects in the House, which will have to sign off on the Senate changes. There is currently little room for error in either chamber for Republicans -- Speaker Mike Johnson can only afford three defections if all members are present and voting. "We need the full weight of the Republican conference to get behind this bill and we expect them to, and we are confident they will," Leavitt said. "The president has been working hand in hand with Senate Majority Leader Thune and also our House Republican Leader, or the Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, both of whom will be at the White House today to meet with the president yet again. I believe they were here this morning," she added. Jun 30, 2025, 10:11 AM EDT 'Vote-a-rama' kicks off in the Senate on Trump's megabill
Politico
7 minutes ago
- Politico
Newsom to tour South Carolina next week in potential 2028 preview
The California governor will speak to Southern voters in an early sneak peek into a possible presidential bid. California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a news conference on April 16, 2025, in Ceres, California. |By Jacob Wendler 07/03/2025 01:23 PM EDT California Gov. Gavin Newsom will meet with voters across South Carolina in a two-day trip through the state next week, further fueling speculation that the Democratic governor is preparing for a 2028 presidential run. The South Carolina Democratic Party — which announced the trip Thursday — is marketing the series of meet-and-greets as an opportunity for the governor to meet with communities impacted by natural disasters and 'speak to the urgent need for federal support and investment' in the wake of Hurricane Helene and the Los Angeles wildfires. Newsom traveled to the state in January 2024 to stump for former President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in the run-up to the presidential election. He received a lukewarm reception from some voters skeptical of his liberal reputation, POLITICO reported at the time.
Associated Press
11 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Hakeem Jeffries takes his 'sweet time' holding the floor to delay Trump's tax bill
WASHINGTON (AP) — There's no filibuster in the House, but Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries essentially conducted one anyway. Jeffries held the House floor for more than eight hours Thursday, taking his 'sweet time' with a marathon floor speech that delayed passage of Republicans' massive tax and spending cuts legislation and gave his minority party a lengthy spotlight to excoriate what he called an 'immoral' bill. As Democratic leader, Jeffries can speak for as long as he wants during debate on legislation — hence its nickname on Capitol Hill, the 'magic minute,' that lasts as long as leaders are speaking. He began the speech at 4:53 a.m. EDT, and was on pace to break the record set by then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in 2021, when he was the GOP leader. McCarthy spoke for 8 hours, 32 minutes when he angrily criticized Democrats' 'Build Back Better' legislation, breaking a record set by Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., when she spoke about immigration for 8 hours, 7 minutes in 2018. 'I feel an obligation, Mr. Speaker, to stand on this House floor and take my sweet time,' Jeffries said as he opened. The speech pushed a final vote on Republican President Donald Trump's tax bill, initially expected in the early morning, into the daylight hours. The New York Democrat used the time to criticize the bill's health care and food aid cuts, tax breaks for the wealthy and rollbacks to renewable energy programs, among other parts of the bill that Democrats decry. He also killed time by riffing on hip-hop, King George III and his own life story, among other diversions. He called out Republicans who have voiced concerns about the bill, read stories from people concerned about their health care from those GOP lawmakers' districts and praised his own members, some of whom sat behind him and cheered, clapped, laughed and joined hands. 'This reckless Republican budget is an immoral document, and that is why I stand here on the floor of the House of Representatives with my colleagues in the House Democratic caucus to stand up and push back against it with everything we have,' Jeffries said. Jeffries sneaked small bites of food and drank liquids to boost his energy, but did not leave the chamber or his podium. The speech would be over if he did. Democrats were powerless to stop the huge bill, which Republicans are passing by using an obscure budget procedure that bypasses the Senate filibuster. So they were using the powers they do have, mostly to delay. In the Senate, Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York forced Senate clerks to read the bill for almost 16 hours over the weekend. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., similarly gained attention in April when he spoke for more than 25 hours on the Senate floor and broke the record for the longest continuous Senate floor speech in the chamber's history. Booker was assisted by fellow Democrats who gave him a break from speaking by asking him questions on the Senate floor, but Jeffries' 'magic minute' did not allow for any interaction with other members. Republicans who were sitting on the floor when Jeffries started trickled out, leaving half the chamber empty. And as they anxiously awaited their vote, some mocked him on social media. 'Anything that drives House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries this crazy must be good,' posted South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham. 'Pass the One Big Beautiful Bill now.' ___ Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Leah Askrinam contributed to this report.
