‘It's immoral': Pelosi criticizes Republican budget cuts at SF event
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — San Francisco congresswoman and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi says while The Presidio is important, it's just another attempt from the President to distract the public from more important issues, like cuts to food and health care programs for middle-income Americans and the poor.
Pelosi held a roundtable on the topic this afternoon at the San Francisco Food Bank.
House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi came back to her home in San Francisco to visit the food bank Thursday for a round table about what the Republican budget proposal has in store for Americans. She says it's all about slashing the safety net that provides food and health care services for those most in need.
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'Whatever bill you're talking about, they have a way of picking the pocket of people who need it most in order to give a benefit to those who need it least,' Pelosi said.
Pelosi heard from a variety of service providers to distribute those services, and from parents who use those services
'Vital nutrition programs that are part of the farm bill are under threat, if the program is cut, tens of thousands of San Franciscans and people from Marin County could be impacted,' said Noriko Lim-Tepper of the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank.
'When you have children with special health needs and disabilities. Medicaid is your lifeline. It keeps your children connected,' said parent Nancy Netherland.
'These proposed cuts are a death sentence to our community,' said Shakirah Simley of Booker T. Washington Community Service Center. 'Over 50% of the babies born in California are born via Medicaid.'
Pelosi says few know about proposed cuts to Medicaid and food programs because of distractions coming from The White House. She says one of those distractions is with The Presidio.
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'I'll look after The Presidio. I'll look after the federal building, I'll look after all that. That's important. This is urgent,' Pelosi said. 'Don't let anything they're doing out there with their shiny objects distract you from the fact that what they want to do is to cut these initiatives. Department of Education, Title I for the poorest children, Head Start nutrition programs in the farm bill, the issues that relate to everything we talk about here, Medicaid, it's immoral for them to talk about that.'
Pelosi says the plan now is for Democrats to get the word out across the country about these proposed cuts, not just in Democratic districts, but in Republican districts. She says that once Republican families find out what's at stake, they'll talk to their congressmen, and they'll be able to turn the tide
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