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Trump and Republicans' "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" Predicted to Harm Millions of Americans, Explode Deficits

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, recently proposed changes to President Trump and Senate Republicans' One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which will pay for tax cuts for billionaires by kicking millions of Americans off Medicaid and closing rural hospitals, cutting food assistance programs, and tanking the economy. Senator Welch's changes aim to protect Vermonters' access to health care, food assistance, and other critical programs. The proposed changes include provisions to prevent harm to rural hospitals, strengthen access to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, block cuts and policies that weaken the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other food assistance programs, protect home energy efficiency tax credits and the home efficiency workforce, and support federal public defenders.

Key Takeaways:

  • The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, proposed by President Trump and Senate Republicans, will cut millions of Americans off Medicaid and SNAP, leading to harm and economic instability.
  • Senator Welch's proposed changes to the bill would protect Vermonters' access to health care, food assistance, and other critical programs.
  • The Senator's amendments aim to prevent harm to rural hospitals, strengthen access to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, and block cuts to SNAP and other food assistance programs.
  • Welch has proposed requiring the Finance Committee to rewrite the bill to exempt managed care programs operated by state governments, like Vermont, from any changes proposed to state-directed payments.
  • The Senator has also proposed requiring the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee to make it easier to verify eligibility for the Affordable Care Act's premium tax credits and expand special enrollment periods.
  • Welch has proposed requiring the Agriculture Committee to strike any cost-shifts of administering SNAP to states, which would kick American families off the food assistance they need and strain state budgets.
  • The amendment to strike administrative cost-shifts for SNAP would allow volunteer work to qualify under SNAP's work requirements.

Statistics:

  • The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is expected to add more than $4 trillion to the national debt.
  • The bill's proposed changes to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act would harm millions of Americans' access to health care.
  • The SNAP program serves approximately 40 million individuals in the United States.
  • The bill's proposed cuts to SNAP and food assistance programs would strain state budgets and harm food insecurity.
  • The home energy efficiency tax credits would be maintained at current levels through 2028 under Senator Welch's proposal.

Sources:

  • United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
  • Press Release, Senate Finance Committee, (no date)
  • HOPE for HOMES Act, passed as part of the Inflation Reduction Act (no date)
  • Inflation Reduction Act (no date)
  • One Big Beautiful Bill Act (no date)

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