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Floor Speech

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Mr. FIGURES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on the critical importance of both SNAP and Medicaid, not just to Alabama's Second District but in every congressional district across this country.

When I took this position, like all of my colleagues, I took an oath not just for this position but I took an oath to the people that I represent. That is to not forget where I come from.

I took an oath to places like Mobile, Montgomery, Phenix City, Evergreen, and Greenville. I took an oath to the neighborhood I grew up in, in Toulminville, to not forget the type of district that I come from.

For me, what that district looks like is about one in four households rely on SNAP benefits. Over 200,000 people, almost a third of the population in the State of Alabama, are enrolled in Medicaid.

The individual median income in my district is just about $31,000 a year. I come from a district that is not the wealthiest in this country. It is not even close to the wealthiest or well-off.

These aren't just statistics. These are real people I see when I go home to my district. These are children, seniors, working parents, and people with disabilities. These are neighbors. These are people who I grew up with in church. These are people I went to school with. These people depend on these programs to survive, not because they want to but because they have to.

Cutting these benefits would force impossible choices amongst some of these people between food, medicine, utilities, housing, and overall stability.

It wouldn't reduce the need because the need would still be there. The hunger would still be there. The poverty would still be there. It would shift the cost onto our hospitals, our schools, and emergency services.

Alabama SNAP does more than just provide food for people. It also supports, as it does across this country, our local grocers and grocery stores. All of the statistics show that SNAP is a net positive return on the local economy.

We have to recognize that Medicaid keeps working families healthy. Mr. Speaker, 61 percent of Medicaid recipients in the State of Alabama are working. The majority or remainder are either children or people with disabilities. These programs are not luxuries. They are lifelines that people need to get by.

Let's stop pretending that these are just numbers in a budget and these are not real people. Protecting SNAP and Medicaid is not about politics. It is not about priorities. We are not in a position where we can't afford it. We spend almost $4 million every trip Donald Trump takes to Mar-a-Lago. It is not a question of resources. It is a question of priorities.

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