The Big Beautiful Bill, currently being considered by the United States Senate is anything but beautiful. The proposed harms to people are many, jeopardizing millions of Americans’ access to Medicaid, food assistance, higher education grants and infringing on the rights of lawful immigrants to pursue the American dream — all to make permanent tax cuts benefiting only the top 1% of earners.
But what about the rest of us?
The widespread harms of the bill have garnered bipartisan opposition at a time when polarization is the norm.
Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran spoke about the negative impacts of the bill on the Senate floor.
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley has long been outspoken in opposition to the bill, calling it “morally wrong.”
Other legislators across the political spectrum have also raised grave concerns about this massive bill that will, even after cuts to essential programs, add $3.3 trillion to our national deficit.
The fallacies of this bill show in how Congress has moved to adopt it. Middle-of-the-night debates and votes, and accelerated processes to move the bill through the House, are contrary to the transparency and sound decision necessary in a true representative democracy.
Only through such tactics could legislation that would cut $700 billion from Medicaid and cause an estimated 15 million people to lose their health insurance coverage make it this far in the process. We as Americans must stand up for ourselves and say no.
Impact of work requirements
The addition of work requirements on top of federal spending cuts compound and confuse the issues of Medicaid program efficacy and efficiency.
The vast majority of Kansans and Missourians covered through Medicaid are already working.
Where states have enforced work requirements, it has resulted in many working Americans losing their coverage, not because they do not qualify, but because of administrative burden and error.
For example, Arkansas removed 18,000 working people from Medicaid shortly after implementing work requirements a few years ago due to overly complicated online filing requirements, lack of awareness and lack of internet access.
In Missouri, where Medicaid was expanded in 2020 by constitutional amendment, it is estimated that work requirements would cut off nearly 80,000 people from health insurance for similar reasons. This is an unjust consequence for people working in our communities and positively contributing to our economy.
Cuts to food assistance and job losses
Another cruel element of the bill is its sweeping, unprecedented cuts to food assistance, known as SNAP, totaling nearly $300 billion and projected to cut nutritional support for 28 million children, older adults, and people living with disabilities, impacting Congressional districts across Kansas and Missouri.
