Donald Trump’s shortsighted, ugly, terrible, horrible, no good, very bad bill | Editorial
Republicans' massive economic and domestic policy proposal is a bankrupt bill — both morally and fiscally.
Republicans appear poised to ram through Donald Trump’s massive economic and domestic policy bill that gives to the rich and takes from the poor, all while leaving future generations saddled with trillions more in debt.
Most Americans oppose the bill. Even 66% of Republican-leaning voters who don’t identify with the MAGA movement are against the proposed legislation.
As usual, Trump oversold the measure, which he simplistically called “one big beautiful bill” — a name Republicans legitimized as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. But under any name, it’s really one big bankrupt bill — both morally and fiscally.
How bad is the proposal? Details are still getting sorted out between the House and Senate, but let us count some of the ways:
The Senate version adds at least $3.3 trillion to the national debt over the next decade.
The bill creates the largest transfer of wealth ever, thanks to tax cuts for the ultrarich.
The slashing of $1.1 trillion in spending for Medicaid would result in roughly 12 million elderly and vulnerable Americans losing health coverage.
The Senate bill shifts the costs of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP or food stamps, to some states — essentially snatching food from hungry children to give tax breaks to the wealthiest among us.
The Senate version also slashes tax incentives and investments in clean energy technologies, effectively repealing former President Joe Biden’s signature legislation designed to combat climate change.
The biggest gains will go to those who make more than $700,000 a year, while those making under $55,000 will pay more. Other winners include corporations and fossil fuel companies, while the losers include younger generations, healthcare workers, and clean energy companies.
In short, the Big Beautiful Bill is cruel and inhumane — unless you are in the top income bracket.
But even Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, who spent nearly $300 million to help elect Trump, called the bill “utterly insane and destructive.”
The measure will hurt Pennsylvanians in multiple ways.
Roughly 310,000 residents are expected to lose access to healthcare, and another 140,000 residents will lose food assistance. Cuts in SNAP benefits will also impact local farmers and grocers. The repeal of the climate incentives is expected to eliminate $1.3 billion in private investment in wind and solar initiatives and result in the loss of 26,000 jobs.
New Jersey residents and farmers will also be impacted. The $19 billion in cuts to healthcare spending will hurt vulnerable residents and hospitals, Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D., N.J.) said.
Trump had promised “no cuts to Medicaid,” but then again, most of his promises are made to be broken. Republicans are scrambling to secure enough votes before it goes to the president for his signature by Trump’s made-up July 4 deadline.
Why the rush?
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security needs more money to ramp up the reckless deportation of migrants, including many who fill jobs no one wants.
The House version earmarks $8 billion to hire 10,000 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement employees over five years, increasing staff by nearly 50%.
Overall, the cost of Trump’s mass deportation is expected to balloon to $1 trillion — more than the U.S. spends on defense in one year. That does not include the projected drop in economic output from the loss of undocumented workers and the additional cost to replace them.
The cruelest cuts involve the slashing of Medicaid.
Republicans claim Medicaid is rife with waste, fraud, and abuse, but that is a lie. The improper payment rate is estimated to be 5%.
Any fraud comes largely from providers, not individuals. The federal and state governments should work to reduce any waste, but Trump’s bill punishes vulnerable citizens.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R., N.C.) tried to warn his GOP colleagues that cutting Medicaid would hurt struggling and elderly residents, including many in the MAGA base.
Trump threatened to back a primary challenger against Tillis, who faced reelection in 2026. Within a day, Tillis announced he would not seek another term.
As for the ballooning deficit, Republicans only pretend to care about that when a Democrat is in the White House.
In 2021, when Biden was president, Sen. Mitch McConnell said, “You’re either alarmed about the level of national debt and the future impact of that on our children and our grandchildren, or you aren’t.”
The GOP will soon show every American that they only care about staying in power.