Big but not so beautiful bill

Last week, the Republican-controlled House narrowly passed Trump’s “big, beautiful” bill which includes massive cuts to Medicaid, food stamps, and clean energy strategies, while giving massive tax giveaways to billionaires. Let’s make it clear - this bill takes the money paid by hard working taxpayers and gives it to the most influential and privileged people in the WORLD!

Regrettably, that’s not all. There are many other provisions stuck in this bill which will increase the harmful effects on all working people. The assault on Medicaid and giveaways to billionaires may be the headlines, but the bill that the republicans passed in the House last week also vastly increases defense spending, attack our system of checks and balances, makes it harder for working families to make ends meet and massively increases the national debt.

Here’s just some of the ugly things you may have missed in this bill:  $46.5 billion for the border and for Trump’s border wall; $150 billion in additional spending for our Defense budget (bringing it to a trillion dollars); Higher prescription costs for seniors under Medicare and changes student loan repayment plans so that students pay more and get less aid.

Perhaps even more sinister are provisions that would restrict federal courts’ authority to hold government officials accountable if they violate judicial orders. Sanctioning a 10 year ban on regulating artificial intelligence opening the doors to wide-spread fraud and abuse. Giving the Trump administration authority to define any nonprofit they don’t like as a “terrorist-supporting organization” and ending their tax status (a clear attack on freedom of speech).

This bill is not only a massive redistribution of wealth from working families to billionaires — it’s also an attack on every American's fundamental rights under the constitution. Call your Senators and tell them vote against this terrible bill and ask them to urge their colleagues to do likewise.

Robert B. Covi, PHD

Bogart, GA