It’s the Fourth of July this week, the day we sing, “America, America… crown thy good in brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.” But these words ring false this holiday. This week, Congress is poised to decide on an 887-page megabill that intentionally and brazenly increases wealthy people’s wealth and increases poor people’s poverty. The bill is all about $4.5 trillion in tax cuts – and how to pay for them – while it adds $5 trillion to the national debt ceiling and will likely increase federal deficits up to $3.3 trillion within ten years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
No one likes to part with their tax dollars, and the bill’s proponents have been selling it as tax breaks and government accountability. But notice that three Republican Senators did not vote for the bill – and the earlier House version barely passed. Elon Musk does not even support it – and neither do the American people. By a 21-point margin, voters questioned in the most recent Fox News national poll opposed the federal budget legislation (38 percent favored vs. 59 percent opposed), which passed by the House of Representatives by just one vote last month. Why are they pushing through such unpopular legislation? Better look under the hood.
According to the Congressional Budget Office analysis, the bill leaves the wealthiest households retaining on average $12,000 annually, while the poorest will pay $1600 more. Not only does the bill starkly punish the working poor while rewarding the wealthy, the bill funds Trump’s plan to deport one million people per year. It moves billions to border patrol and national security, including a border wall with our neighbor, Mexico, and detention centers.
In addition to the tax cuts, the bill funds massive missile defense systems. But before you assume you are safer, know that it removes the $200 tax on gun silencers and short-barreled rifles and shotguns, while levying new taxes on universities. The bill removes tax breaks for buying new or used electric vehicles, while giving tax credits to the production of coal-based steelmaking.
Here’s the tradeoff. The funds for these projects come from massive cuts to Medicaid and food assistance. Currently, 71 million (20 percent) of Americans rely on Medicaid, and, under the bill’s rules, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that 12 million (three percent) of Americans will not be insured by 2034. Right now, 40 million (12 percent) rely on food assistance – the vast majority of these work. The effect of the proposed bill includes 3 million (one percent) people not qualifying for food stamps who need them.
The bill disproportionately punishes children, those with disabilities and their families, the elderly, and veterans. In our South Lake Tahoe community of approximately 21,000 residents, over 35 percent were considered at the federal poverty level, according to the 2021 Barton Community Health Needs Assessment. Approximately 10% of households are on food stamps (SNAP) benefits (more than 900 households) according to statisticalatlas.com. According to the Census Bureau, of households in South Lake Tahoe who receive food stamps, 51 percent have children and 46 percent have at least one family member with a qualifying disability in 2024. In addition, almost 27 percent were over 60 years old, including many of our 400+ veterans.
Finally, a provision included in the bill will increase the national debt limit by $5 trillion. This bill is clearly not about balancing the federal budget. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the bill will increase federal deficits over the next 10 years by nearly $3.3 trillion from 2025 to 2034. Our Rep. Kevin Kiley (CA-03) said on Newsmax on February 16, “We have a 36 trillion dollar debt that is utterly unsustainable. The overspending is what created this inflation crisis.” Despite this, he voted for the first version of the budget bill.
No matter how you run the numbers, this bill will leave almost three percent of working Americans without health care and one percent without food, while households making $5 million keep $300,000 more.
Let’s remember what “brotherhood” means in this America, the beautiful. Join us and demand that Representative Kevin Kiley vote “NO” on the budget bill. Call and write his office: https://kiley.house.gov/about.
-Annie Davidson, Jessica Drizin, Tiffany Foo & Angie Reagan