Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez denounced President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill as a “scam” and a “deal with the devil” in a fiery speech July 2 on the House floor.
As the sprawling bill inches toward passage, Ocasio-Cortez accused Trump of lying about the measure that cuts Medicaid and food stamps for the poor while slashing taxes on tips and providing big breaks for the wealthy and large corporations.
“It doesn’t take a smart person to know if you are being lied to,” Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York’s 14th district, said. “President Trump, you’re either being lied to or you are lying to the American people.”
The progressive firebrand drew cheers from fellow Democrats as she accused GOP lawmakers of engineering “the largest and greatest loss of health care in American history.” She said 17 million would lose coverage due to the bill’s harsh cuts, although nonpartisan watchdog groups have put the number at 11 million.
Ocasio-Cortez, a former waitress, called Trump’s move to end the tax on tips “a scam” and pointed out that the Senate imposed a $25,000 cap on the benefit, which she predicted would be canceled out by cuts in health care and SNAP food assistance.
“You do the math,” she said. “Is that worth it to you?”
The speech came as Republicans, who hold a 220-to-212 edge in the House of Representatives, were moving through some procedural steps before the bill comes up for a final vote. Some Republican lawmakers vowed to vote against the bill, but most observers believe enough will cave to Trump to pass it despite misgivings.
Democrats can rail against the bill but cannot block it unless at least four Republicans break ranks.
Ocasio-Cortez called Republicans hypocrites for claiming to stand up for working people.
“This bill is a deal with the devil,” she said, ending the speech by addressing GOP colleagues directly. “You should be ashamed.”
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News (TNS)
©2025 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
