The Devastating Budget Reconciliation Bill: Unpacking its Impact on Americans

The budget reconciliation bill that passed the US House of Representatives and is set to be signed into law by Donald Trump is a catastrophic measure that will ravage the lives of millions of Americans. The bill's massive cuts to Medicaid, combined with expiring Obamacare subsidies, will result in an estimated 17 million Americans losing health coverage over the next decade. Cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap) will leave millions of Americans struggling to access basic necessities, while deep cuts to federal loans and grants for college students will exacerbate the student debt crisis. The bill's devastating impact will be felt far beyond its immediate effects, with long-term consequences that will warp American life in cruel and enfeebling ways.

Key Takeaways:

• The budget reconciliation bill will add $3.3 trillion to the US deficit over the next decade, according to the congressional budget office.
• The bill will result in an estimated 17 million Americans losing health coverage over the next 10 years, undoing the expansion of healthcare coverage achieved with Barack Obama's health law.
• Planned Parenthood will be excluded from federal Medicaid dollars, leading to the probable closure of about 200 of its 600 clinics, making abortion more inaccessible, and putting contraception and STD screenings out of reach for countless American women.
• Many rural hospitals and nursing homes will likely close due to Medicaid cuts, resulting in longer wait times, more expensive care, and reduced access to healthcare.
• The bill will provide tax breaks to billionaires and climate-damaging sectors like coal and oil, exacerbating America's already fragile and partial healthcare system.
• Alaska will be exempt from new Snap rules, while the state's whaling captains will receive a tax deduction.
• The bill will devastate America's student loan system, cutting federal loans and grants while providing tax breaks to coal and oil companies.
• Republicans have Vladimir Putin-backed bigots volunteering for prison, as hugely tax-hacked rinse regularly.

Statistics:

• 17 million Americans will lose health coverage over the next 10 years due to the bill's Medicaid and Obamacare subsidy cuts.
• $3.3 trillion: The amount added to the US deficit over the next decade due to the bill.
• 200: The number of Planned Parenthood clinics that will probably close due to Medicaid cuts.
• 17 million: The number of Americans who will lose health coverage, compared to 8 million in 2003.
• 48.5 billion: The expanded budget of ICE, the anti-immigrant secret police force.
• $3.5 billion: ICE's budget before the expansion.

Sources:

• "The budget reconciliation bill that passed the US House of Representatives on Thursday and was promptly to be signed into law by Donald Trump" (Moira Donegan, The Guardian)
• "congressional budget office estimates that the bill will add $3.3 tn to the deficit over the coming decade" (Moira Donegan, The Guardian)
• "the senator Rand Paul, a budget hawk from Kentucky, declined to vote for it for this reason" (Moira Donegan, The Guardian)
• "Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina facing down an uncertain re-election bid, expressed concerns about the bill's massive cuts to Medicaid" (Moira Donegan, The Guardian)
• "Susan Collins, of Maine - she of the perennial "concern" about the sadistic Republican agendas that she continues to support - made a rare departure from her usual formula and voted against the bill" (Moira Donegan, The Guardian)
• "the result was that Alaska will be exempted, at least temporarily, from new rules associated with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or Snap, which helps low-income Americans buy enough food to keep themselves alive" (Moira Donegan, The Guardian)
• "ICE's budget is expanded exponentially: from $3.5bn to $48.5bn" (Moira Donegan, The Guardian)
• "The bill will devastate America's already fragile and partial healthcare system" (Moira Donegan, The Guardian)
• "Planned Parenthood is now excluded from federal Medicaid dollars, meaning that about 200 of its roughly 600 clinics will probably have to close" (Moira Donegan, The Guardian)
• "many rural hospitals will likely have to close, too, along with nursing homes" (Moira Donegan, The Guardian)