Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer used a floor speech to criticize the Republican-led health care bill, calling it “morally bankrupt” and warning it could harm millions of Americans.
Schumer said the so-called “big beautiful bill” is falling apart as Republicans privately disagree on how severe the cuts should be. “They can’t agree on just how devastating to make their own bill,” he said.
The core of his objection centers on proposed deep cuts to Medicaid. Schumer claimed Republicans are trying to keep those cuts alive while rewriting the bill behind closed doors.
“Don’t be fooled,” Schumer said. “They absolutely agree that one way or another, they want Medicare cut to the bone.”
He accused Republican lawmakers of making false public assurances. “They’re saying no one will lose health care,” he said. “But the bill does exactly the opposite.”
Citing independent studies, Schumer said the bill would end coverage for 16 million people, raise costs even for private insurance holders, and lead to nearly a million job losses. Rural hospitals, nursing homes, and state budgets would take major hits, he added.
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He also quoted unnamed Republican senators who privately admitted concerns. One GOP senator reportedly passed out flyers showing billions in lost funding for his own state. Others warned of shuttered rural hospitals and debt burdens passed to future generations.
But Schumer expressed doubt that internal warnings would lead to public action. “Nice words mean nothing if all they do is change lipstick on the same pig,” he said.
He challenged Republicans to consider a different approach: “Instead of finding new ways to pass the same old cuts, why not keep the promises you’ve been making for weeks — not to cut Medicaid?”
The Democratic leader closed by urging Senate Republicans to abandon the bill entirely. “It makes no sense,” he said. “Not for families, not for rural communities, not for this country.”
He then yielded the floor and called for a quorum check.
