May 21, 2025

Congresswoman Torres Proposes Key Amendments to Republican Budget Reconciliation to Protect Working Families and Strengthen Public Services

Amendments Address Critical Issues facing Californians, including higher taxes, Cuts to Healthcare and food assistance, and dangerous Trump Administration changes to Air Safety Systems

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Norma Torres introduced targeted amendments to the Republican Budget Reconciliation aimed at protecting working families' access to healthcare, food assistance, fairness in tax policy, and protecting essential public services. These amendments address critical areas, including healthcare, SNAP, transportation, and infrastructure, ensuring that policies serve the best interests of American workers and communities.

“Republican budget proposals threaten essential programs that millions of Americans depend on,” said Congresswoman Torres. “These amendments are a necessary step to ensure that our tax policies, public services, and infrastructure investments are fair and effective in supporting the American people.”

The proposed amendments aim to address the issues in the Republican Budget Reconciliation bill, which includes cutting healthcare coverage for nearly 14 million people, reducing SNAP benefits by $300 billion, and leaving 42 million Americans facing cuts to their benefits:

  • Protect Healthcare and Prevent Medicaid Cuts: Torres is pushing to strike provisions to cut hundreds of billions of dollars from Medi-Cal, California's Medicaid. This amendment would protect the healthcare of millions of Americans who rely on Medicaid for essential health services, including the nearly 340,000 adults and children in the Inland Empire who rely on Medi-Cal (California’s Medicaid program). Cuts to Medicaid disproportionately harm children, seniors, and people with disabilities. A cut to Medicaid is also a cut to Medicare, as 30% of Medicaid dollars support Medicare enrollees. 

  • Prevent Harmful SNAP Cuts: Torres is proposing an amendment to prevent $300 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which would endanger the food security of millions of American families, including 112,000 Americans in the Inland Empire. By striking these harmful provisions, nearly 90% of households that participate in SNAP have either a child, a senior, or an individual with disability. Rep. Torres seeks to protect vulnerable working families from losing access to the resources they need to stay healthy and nourished.

  • Lift the SALT Deduction Cap: Torres is advocating for the removal of the $10,000 cap on State and Local Tax (SALT) deductions that Trump signed into law in 2017. By limiting the SALT deduction to $10,000, the Trump 2017 Tax bill effectively raised taxes on Californians by eliminating their ability to deduct their state and local tax payments (including state income taxes and local property taxes) from their income for federal taxes. As residents of a state with a high cost of living and high housing costs, hardworking Californians are hit particularly hard by Trump’s cap on the SALT deduction. Californians pay more than their fair share of taxes, contributing $83 billion more in federal taxes than they received in return. Lifting the cap is about fairness and provides Californians with deserved tax relief in Trump’s high-priced economy.

  • Protect Aviation Safety and Ensure Fair FAA Staffing Practices: Torres introduced an amendment to keep the flying public safe, protecting Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees from unlawful firings. The FAA has fired at least 400 individuals responsible for maintaining air traffic control systems. This amendment will ensure that no funds made available by this Act may be used to terminate a probationary or non-probationary employee unless an individual performance assessment is conducted. This amendment aims to prevent unlawful terminations, ensuring that FAA staff are treated fairly and that safety standards are upheld for the traveling public. This amendment protects local jobs while maintaining air travel safety standards at Ontario International and regional airports.

  • Support California’s Critical Infrastructure Needs: Torres is fighting back against the indefensible corruption of this Administration, specifically the newly released U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plan to help only Republican leaning states, not all Americans equally. Torres is advocating for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to allocate resources for California’s water infrastructure, environmental restoration, and flood management projects. Given California’s challenges with drought, wildfires, and floods, this amendment is designed to strengthen the state’s infrastructure and ensure communities are better protected from environmental and flood-related disasters.

  • Remove harmful tax on remittances: Torres is fighting back against this bill's unjust 5% federal tax on remittance transfers that targets immigrant communities. With Americans sending over $93 billion in 2023 to help families abroad with basic necessities, this tax would devastate economies in countries like Honduras, Haiti, and El Salvador, where remittances comprise up to 30% of GDP. This amendment would prevent harmful policies that destabilize regional allies, contradict migration management efforts, and punish those playing by the rules—ensuring our policies support rather than harm immigrant communities and diplomatic partnerships.

“These amendments are designed to protect the well-being of American families, ensure the long-term viability of essential public programs, and support fair policies that address the unique needs of communities across the country,” Congresswoman Torres added. “We cannot afford to let partisan politics undermine the services and resources that our citizens rely on every day.”

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