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Democratic Governors of Kentucky and Kansas Urge Republicans to Scrap "Big Beautiful Betrayal Bill"

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, speaking during a press call organized by the Democratic Governors Association, expressed strong opposition to the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," calling it a "betrayal of the American people." The bill, backed by President Donald Trump and awaiting action in the Senate, would make permanent the tax cuts enacted during Trump's first administration and would increase the national deficit by more than $2 trillion over the next 10 years. The governors warned that the bill would slash Medicaid funding by hundreds of billions of dollars, gut funding for critical food assistance programs, and pass tax handouts to the ultra wealthy.

Key Takeaways:

  • The "Big Beautiful Betrayal Bill" would increase the national deficit by more than $2 trillion over the next 10 years, with the Congressional Budget Office estimating the bill would add 2.1 trillion to the deficit.
  • The bill would slash Medicaid funding by hundreds of billions of dollars, forcing 20,000 jobs to be eliminated in Kentucky hospitals due to the elimination of supplemental payments to hospitals that care for large numbers of Medicaid patients.
  • The bill would also gut funding for critical food assistance programs, which would disproportionately harm rural communities.
  • Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly have urged Republicans in Congress to scrap the bill, warning that it would harm the very people who live in their red states.
  • The bill has been endorsed by President Donald Trump and is awaiting action in the Senate, where Republicans are moving to pass the measure through a process called reconciliation.
  • The bill would force residents in rural areas to drive long distances to see a doctor, shuttering hospitals and killing health care jobs.
  • Kentucky Hospital Association president and CEO Nancy Galvagni estimates that the loss of Medicaid funding would lead to the closure of currently operating hospitals, affecting tens of thousands of patients every year.

Statistics:

  • The Congressional Budget Office estimates the "Big Beautiful Betrayal Bill" would increase the national deficit by more than $2 trillion over the next 10 years (Source: Congressional Budget Office).
  • The bill would slash Medicaid funding by hundreds of billions of dollars over the next 10 years (Source: Democratic Governors Association).
  • The elimination of supplemental payments to hospitals that care for large numbers of Medicaid patients would force 20,000 jobs to be eliminated in Kentucky hospitals (Source: Kentucky Hospital Association).
  • The number of jobs that would be eliminated due to the elimination of supplemental payments to hospitals (Source: Kentucky Hospital Association).

Sources:

  • States Newsroom, Kansas Reflector
  • Democratic Governors Association
  • Punchbowl News
  • The Hill
  • USA Today
  • Kentucky Lantern
  • Congressional Budget Office
  • Kentucky Hospital Association

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