Trump and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Bill
Plus, Some Ways You Can Still (Possibly) Stop It
Clearly, I do not need to tell you how bad the “Big Beautiful Bill” is.
You already know. So does the vast majority of your fellow Americans. Whether independent, Democrat, or Republican.
The marketing did not work, and the Republican Party lost the battle for public opinion for very good reason. As my brother Michael will be reporting in his latest post, here is what that Big Beautiful Atrocity will do:
Medicaid cuts will hurt half of all the rural children who get healthcare from that program.
Food Stamp cuts will affect the 15% of rural households who rely on that service, especially now with the high cost of groceries (the cost of eggs, regardless of Donald Trump’s lies, are up 40% from a year ago).
Federal funding for rural schools, community colleges, and Head Start will be reduced under this bill.
NIH (National Institute of Health), USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) research, and rural broadband programs all face budget cuts.
Cuts will inflict various rural clean energy and infrastructure projects that rely on federal tax credits.
Federal proposals will override local and state eminent domain laws to push through carbon pipelines, as well as mining and drilling permits.
The $50 billion windfall is back for mega farms and big farms that don’t need those federal agricultural subsidies.
NOAA’s deep cuts will impact everything from irrigation planning, to hay cutting and cow calving.
FEMA’s (Federal Emergency Management Agency) budget will be cut by 30%, so rural communities are likely on their own.
Immigrant labor on farms are also at risk with this bill.
And that’s just what it will do to Rural America, never mind the rest of America.
You don’t need to read more than a thousand pages of legislation—jammed down a weak and pathetic Congress’s throat—to see the problem. This bill is not made for you. It is made for the billionaire class that bought your Congress. Government of the rich, by the rich, and for the rich.
So how did the rich get around the issue of the people’s anger and disapproval? Simple. They had Donald Trump. Donald Trump, who could threaten Senators and Representatives to vote for a bill to lower rich people’s taxes and to cut social services for poor people and people living paycheck-to-paycheck.
Yes, the moneyed class own Donald Trump and his minions, who can then hand out favors to specific congresspeople to get them on board. You know, people like Senator Lisa Murkowski, who made sure the bill had carve-outs for her home state of Alaska.
In other words, save 1 state to kill the 49 others. Fantastic. That’s the way you do it!
Let me cut to the chase. This bill is bad, we do not want it to pass, and we must still do what we can to make sure it does not pass. Right now, that “Big Beautiful” Mess sits in the House.
As we speak, the House Republican hardliners—ironically, the people who want to make the budget even worse for working people—refuse to vote for it because it threatens to plunge us into the point of no return for debt.
In the meantime, that gives us time to put heavy pressure on moderate Republicans in swing districts—and in districts that will be hit especially heavy with Medicaid cuts. Here are the people you should contact. Bolded ones are particularly, shall we say, “persuadable.”
Rep. Don Bacon (NE) (202) 225-4155
Rep. Mike Lawler (NY) 202-225-6506
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA) (202) 225-4276
Rep. Nick LaLota (NY) (202) 225-3826
Rep. Juan Ciscomani (AZ) (202) 225-2542
Rep. Dave Schweikert (AZ) (202) 225-2190
Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (NJ) (202) 225-5361
Rep. Mike Turner (OH) (202) 225-6465
Rep. Jeff Van Drew (NJ) 202-225-6572
Rep. John James (MI) (202) 225-4961
Rep. Bill Huizenga (MI) (202) 225-4401
Rep. Bryan Steil (WI) (202) 225-3031
Rep. Brad Finstad (MN) 202-225-2472
Rep. Zach Nunn (IA) (202) 225-5476
If you have spare time, also volunteer for phonebanks to get the word out to people in these Representatives’s districts. Get them to keep bringing on the pain even when you are not able to call. The link is here: https://buff.ly/6IiN5YG.
What they work to destroy, we work to rebuild! So let’s get to work!