HARMS OF THE TRUMP / REPUBLICAN BUDGET

The Trump / Republican budget just enacted will increase the federal debt, make college less affordable, harm our (and particularly women’s) health as well as our health care system, and hurt states’ finances. Please contact your members of Congress and tell them you oppose these budget cuts. Ask them to explain to their constituents the toll the budget will take on every day Americans and on our society.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

The Trump / Republican budget just enacted will increase the federal debt, make college less affordable, harm our (and particularly women’s) health as well as our health care system overall, and hurt states’ finances (among other things). My previous post documented harm to seniors because of cuts to Medicaid, cuts to Medicare, and the weakening of Social Security. I also noted the harm to millions of non-seniors due to the cuts to Medicaid and food assistance.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has just issued its final report on the budget: it will increase the deficit by $3.4 trillion over ten years and result in 10 million Americans losing health coverage from Medicaid (among other things). Low-income children and families will be among the groups hit hardest with about 37 million children losing their healthcare coverage from Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The money from the huge increase in the deficit and the harmful cuts in vital programs helps pay for tax breaks for millionaires and large corporations, as well as grotesque increases in the budgets for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the military. [1]

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S TOTAL DEBT CEILING RAISED: While most people know that the Trump / Republican budget bill increased the annual budget deficits, few are aware that the bill also included a big, $5 trillion increase the federal government’s overall amount of allowable, accumulated debt, i.e., the debt ceiling. You may remember that Republicans threatened to shut down the federal government – and sometimes did – and created crises over the increasing of the debt ceiling when Democrats were president. Despite Republicans supposed concern about the amount of the federal debt, they were happy to increase the debt limit 27 times when Republicans Reagan and George H. W. Bush were president. But when Democrat Clinton was president, the Republicans shut down the federal government twice over increases in the federal debt, although ultimately the debt ceiling was increased eight times during the Clinton presidency. Under Republican president George W. Bush, the debt ceiling was increased eight times without Republican opposition. Under Democrat Obama, the debt ceiling was increased or suspended five times with Republicans threatening government shutdowns and creating crises over their supposed concern over the debt.

These Republican-created debt ceiling crises resulted in dramatic stock market declines and the downgrading of the federal government’s credit rating by Standard & Poor’s for the first time ever. In Republican Trump’s first term the debt ceiling was suspended three times with no Republican objections. Under Democratic President Biden, the Republicans returned to their hypocritical objection to increasing the debt ceiling and created another crisis. They also threatened, for the first time in history, to use the filibuster in the Senate to block an increase in the debt ceiling. So, the Republicans’ big increase in the debt ceiling and the annual federal budget deficit in the recent budget bill dramatically underscore the hypocrisy of their claims to be concerned about the federal budget deficit and the debt ceiling.

MAKING COLLEGE LESS AFFORDABLE: The Trump / Republican budget bill reduces and caps the total amount that students and parents can borrow to pay for college from federal sources. It raises interest costs and shuts down or weakens programs that allow loan forgiveness for low-income graduates and those in public service jobs. For new student loans, there are only two repayment plans, both of which are far more expensive than the current options. These changes will cost student borrowers about $355 billion over ten years most of it from repealing reduced loan payments for graduates in low-paying jobs. These budget savings come directly out of the pockets of student borrowers to help pay for tax cuts for the wealthy and increased funding for ICE and the military. [2]

MAKING HEALTH CARE FOR WOMEN LESS ACCESSIBLE: The Trump / Republican budget bill prohibits Medicaid funding from going to any organization that is primarily engaged in family planning services and got more than $800,000 from Medicaid in 2023. Note that federal law already prohibits federal funding from paying for almost all abortions.

The budget bill targets Planned Parenthood because of its abortion services, but it will also dramatically affect many other women’s health care services and many other providers of health care for women. While Planned Parenthood performs about 400,000 abortions a year, it also provides over 5 million tests and treatments for sexually transmitted infections, over 2 million family planning and contraception services, and over 400,000 cancer screenings and prevention services. The loss of Medicaid coverage for these services will harm many low-income women.

An example of the impact on non-Planned Parenthood providers is Maine Family Planning. It will lose about $2 million in Medicaid reimbursements (one-fourth of its total budget) for its non-abortion services to roughly 3,500 patients in rural Maine, such as cancer screenings, pregnancy testing, treatment for sexually transmitted infections, and family planning counseling and contraception services. It operates 18 clinics and for about two-thirds of its patients it is their only health care provider. [3]

HARMS TO THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM AND STATES’ FINANCES: The Trump / Republican budget bill will harm the overall health care system by reducing the revenue it receives from Medicaid and Medicare by hundreds of millions of dollars. States simply do not have the resources to fill this gap. Higher insurance premiums and higher co-payments for services from patients will occur. States’ finances will be harmed as at least some states will use their funds to make up for some of the lost federal funding that supports low-income individuals and families. It is estimated that 51,000 preventable deaths will occur each year because of the cuts to the health care system. [4]

For example, in Massachusetts, it’s estimated that the federal budget cuts will reduce payments to MA health care providers by as much as $3.5 billion per year. About 326,000 MA residents (almost 5% of the population or 1 of every 20 people) are projected to lose their health insurance due to the budget cuts. Hospitals are projected to lose $424 million in revenue. As a result, some hospitals will close and some will stop providing services that are less profitable, such as psychiatric and obstetrical care. Emergency rooms may close. Massachusetts (and other states) will be forced to step in and subsidize critically important services, especially in rural areas. Hundreds of rural hospitals across the country are likely to close as they are more dependent on Medicaid revenue than urban / suburban hospitals. [5]

The budget’s new Medicaid work requirements will mean that millions of Medicaid recipients will lose coverage even though they are working or qualify for an exemption from the work requirements because of a disability, for example. They will lose their coverage because they are unable to assemble the necessary paperwork and to jump through all the hoops of presenting it quickly enough to avoid being cut off. By the way, the budget bill also requires them to do this twice a year rather than once a year as is currently required.

Please contact your members of Congress and tell them you oppose these budget cuts. Urge them to speak out against the Trump / Republican budget and to explain to their constituents the toll the budget will take on them and our society.

You can find contact information for your US Representative at http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and for your US Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

[1] Hubbell, R., 7/23/25, “Resisting while in political exile,” Today’s Edition Newsletter (https://roberthubbell.substack.com/p/resisting-while-in-political-exile)

[2] Kuttner, R., 7/16/25, “Gutting the student loan program,” The American Prospect (https://prospect.org/blogs-and-newsletters/tap/2025-07-16-gutting-student-loan-program/)

[3] Whittle, P., & Mulvihill, G., 7/17/25, “Trump’s new bill affects more than Planned Parenthood,” The Boston Globe from the Associated Press

[4] Anderson, S. & Koshgarian, L., 7/9/25, “10 ways the GOP’s big ugly bill could hurt you,” Common Dreams (https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/10-harms-big-ugly-bill)

[5] Globe Editorial, 7/17/25, “One big disaster for Massachusetts health care,” The Boston Globe

REPUBLICAN BUDGET HARMS SENIORS (AMONG MANY OTHERS)

The recently enacted Republican budget bill will harm seniors by reducing Medicaid spending, weakening Social Security, and cutting Medicare. These (and other) budget cuts are being made to help pay for large tax cuts for wealthy individuals and corporations.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

The Republican budget just passed by Congress and signed by President Trump will harm seniors by reducing Medicaid spending, cutting Medicare, and weakening Social Security. Before I get into some of these details, a couple of notes on other provisions of the bill, of which there are many in the nearly 1,000-page bill’s language. As you probably know, 12 million people are projected to lose their health care due to Medicaid cuts of roughly $1 trillion (yes, trillion) over the next ten years. Medicaid provides health insurance for low-income families and seniors including long-term care for millions of seniors (see more below). Cuts to food assistance programs, primarily the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), will increase hunger for millions of families, including many new mothers and babies where malnutrition may have long-term effects on the babies’ development.

All the cuts in the budget are being made to help pay for large tax cuts for wealthy individuals and corporations. Note that the big tax cuts take effect right away, while many of the program cuts don’t go into effect until after the 2026 election. The Republicans hope that because people won’t be experiencing the program cuts before the election that it will be easier to con voters into voting for Republicans.

Most people know that the budget will increase the federal budget’s annual deficits by over $300 billion for a total of $3 trillion (yes, trillion) over the next ten years. However, few people are aware that the bill increases the federal government’s overall amount of allowable, accumulated debt, i.e., the debt ceiling, by $5 trillion. (I’ll document the Republicans’ hypocrisy on raising the debt ceiling in a future post.)

The Trump administration and Republicans are pumping out lots of disinformation about the budget bill in an attempt to keep the public from understanding the harm it will do.

For example, within hours of the passage of the bill, all of you who are seniors, tens of millions of Americans overall, received an email from the Social Security Administration stating that “The bill ensures that nearly 90% of Social Security beneficiaries will no longer pay federal income taxes on their benefits” and that “The new law includes a provision that eliminates federal income taxes on Social Security benefits for most beneficiaries.” [1]

These statements are misleading at best. Only about a quarter (25%) of seniors will see any tax benefit from the bill’s provisions – quite different from the figures used in the Social Security Administration’s email.The bill does not directly eliminate or even reduce taxes on Social Security benefits. What the bill does is temporarily increase the standard income tax deduction by $6,000 for seniors 65 and over. [2] Sixty-four percent of seniors receiving Social Security benefits ALREADY pay no tax on their Social Security payments. This percentage will increase to 88% due to the bill’s provisions. Furthermore, the people who will benefit will be those Social Security recipients who are better off and the richest will benefit the most. By the way, the increase in the income tax deduction will expire in 2028 when Trump’s term in office is ending. [3] [4]

Furthermore, the message from the Social Security Administration didn’t mention that, overall, the budget bill will weaken Social Security by reducing the revenue that flows into the Social Security system. Currently, the Social Security trust fund, built up over many years to help pay Social Security benefits, is projected to run out of money in 2033. After that, Social Security revenue would only be able to pay 77% of promised benefits. Under the Republican budget bill, the Social Security trust fund will run out of money one year earlier, in 2032, and its reduction of future Social Security revenue means that benefits after 2032 would be even lower than the currently projected 77% of the promised level. [5]

The Republican budget’s cuts to Medicaid will harm low-income seniors who qualify for Medicaid (and that they receive in addition to Medicare – which covers all seniors). In particular, it will harm the roughly eight million seniors and people with disabilities whose long-term home and community-based care services are paid for by Medicaid and the 1.5 million seniors in nursing homes. About two-thirds of all nursing home residents are covered by Medicaid. The budget’s Medicaid cuts will significantly reduce revenue for long-term care services and facilities. As a result, 25% of nursing homes are projected to close and over half are likely to have to reduce staff to remain financially viable. Therefore, finding nursing home care, let alone good quality care, will become even more difficult than it is now. [6] [7]

In addition to the direct cuts to Medicaid (government health care coverage for low-income families and seniors), the Republican budget will also force cuts to Medicare (government health care coverage for all seniors). Because of the budget’s large increases in the federal government’s annual budget deficits, the Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) Act of 2010 requires across-the-board budget cuts. A mandatory cut of about $50 billion a year to Medicare for each of the next ten years will be required. This cut will take place immediately (while many of the explicit program cuts in the budget are delayed until after the 2026 elections). [8]

Please contact your members of Congress and tell them you are opposed to (or even horrified by) budget cuts that will harm seniors. Tell them you are particularly upset that these cuts are being used to give wealthy individuals and corporations tax cuts. Urge them to speak out against these cuts and to explain to their constituents the toll the Republican budget is taking on seniors and others.

[1] Social Security Administration, 7/3/25, “Social Security applauds passage of legislation providing historic tax relief for seniors,” Press Release (https://www.ssa.gov/news/press/releases/2025/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email#2025-07-03)

[2] Hubbell, R., 7/7/25, “Stay on task: Overwhelm the opposition,” Today’s Edition Newsletter (https://roberthubbell.substack.com/p/stay-on-task-overwhelm-the-opposition)

[3] Edelman, L., 7/15/25, “Seniors score, gamblers get rolled in Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’,” The Boston Globe

[4] Siegel Bernard, T., 7/8/25, “Social Security email misleading,” The Boston Globe from the New York Times

[5] Johnson, J., 7/4/25, “Trump Social Security chief applauds budget bill that will harm Social Security’s finances,” Common Dreams (https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-social-security-budget-bill)

[6] Lawson, A., 6/30/25, “The Republican nursing home apocalypse,” Common Dreams (https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/gop-nursing-homes)

[7] National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities, Feb. 2025, “Medicaid facts with links to state data,” (https://nacdd.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/250204_NACDD-Medicaid-Fact-Sheet.pdf)

[8] Dayen, D., 7/3/25, “Republicans are cutting Medicare. Not only Medicaid, Medicare.” The American Prospect (https://prospect.org/politics/2025-07-03-republicans-cutting-medicare-not-only-medicaid/)

PLEASE PARTICIPATE IN A “MAKE GOOD TROUBLE” PROTEST ON THURS., 7/17

I hope you’re planning to participate in a Make Good Trouble protest on Thursday, July 17. You can find an event near you here. The Trump administration continues its assaults on our democracy and on the safety and well-being of Americans. We and our elected officials need to step up our resistance and make it clear we oppose the administration’s actions.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

(Personal note: My posting has been and will be a bit less regular this summer primarily because of multiple opportunities to spend time with our grandchildren.)

I hope you’re planning to participate in a Make Good Trouble protest on Thursday, July 17. You can find an event near you here. These protests are important follow-ups to the No Kings protests on June 14. Resistance is even more important now as the Trump administration continues its assaults on democracy and on the safety and well-being of all Americans. Please participate in a protest if you can; bring family members and friends if possible. Support the resistance however you can. Let’s make this bigger and better than the No Kings protests in June!

In addition to protests against the Trump administration, these will also be rallies in support of democracy. They will include pro-democracy messaging supporting the Constitution, equality, due process, liberty, fairness, decency, compassion, and the common good. [1]

These Make Good Trouble protests will be honoring the legacy of civil rights activist and former member of Congress John Lewis, who advocated for making good trouble and marching forward despite all odds. Lewis and his fellow civil rights marchers didn’t make it across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday (and Lewis almost got beaten to death), but they persisted and now is our time to stand up for democracy, decency, the rule of law, fairness, and justice.

These protests are not seeking to change Trump’s mind or those of his MAGA supporters in and outside of Congress. They are seeking to demonstrate to our elected officials that if they do not stand with us in resisting the Trump administration and in protecting democracy that they will lose their next elections. They also seek to convince enough people of the importance of voting for Democrats (and against Republicans) in upcoming elections to give Democrats control of Congress, along with state and local offices and legislative bodies. They also seek to make it clear to corporate executives that siding with Trump will hurt their businesses as well as to judges that the people support and want democracy; that we want government of, by, and for the people; and that we will back them when they stand up to the Trump administration’s illegal actions.

The Make Good Trouble protests and pro-democracy rallies are also a way to support one another in our resistance and underscore the importance of our actions. As John Lewis wrote: “When you see something that is not right, you must say something. You must do something. Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part to help build what we called the Beloved Community, a nation and world society at peace with itself. Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble.” [2]

Trump’s repeated assertions of illegal and autocratic powers undermine the Constitution, civil rights, the rule of law, and the foundations of our democracy. They are a coordinated attack on our democracy and a humane and healthy society. They attack our rights to due process, to vote, to protest, and even our well-being, including access to healthcare, food, and shelter. They target immigrants, families in need, and anyone who disagrees with them or calls out their lies.

The only solution to the Trump administration’s illegal and dictatorial actions is for millions of Americans to peacefully protest to show their opposition. Thousands of protests all over the country, in cities, towns, and rural areas, by people of all ages, political persuasions, and ethnicities, are needed to clearly show the Trump administration, our elected officials (members of Congress, Governors, Mayors, members of state legislatures, etc.), corporate executives, and our judges that the Trump administration’s actions are unacceptable and broadly opposed.

We, as citizens of a democracy, need to rise up in unassailable numbers to defend our democracy against the autocracy and budding police state dictatorship of the Trump administration.

Our political leaders (if they deserve to be called leaders) should be leading the charge and stepping up their resistance, as President Trump continues his assaults on our democracy. I urge you to contact your elected officials at all levels, from members of Congress to Governors to members of state legislatures to local officials, and ask them to join a protest on Thursday and to resist every day. Ask them to do more than just speak out. Now is the time for action!

P.S. We all need our weekly dose of good news, so here’s a link to a Jess Craven Chop Wood, Carry Water good news post.

[1] Hubbell, R. B., 7/14/25, “Making good trouble,” Today’s Edition Newsletter (https://roberthubbell.substack.com/p/making-good-trouble)

[2] Hubbell, R. B., 7/14/25, see above

EXAMPLES OF THE SOCIETAL TOLL OF TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS

The actions of the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress are inflicting a serious toll on our society. Examples include their efforts to defund foreign aid and public broadcasting, their weakening of our cybersecurity defenses, and their efforts to eliminate the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, not to mention all the horrible things in the budget bill.

(Note: If you find a post too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog!)

The actions of the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress are taking a heavy toll on people, on our society, and on our democratic institutions. Here are some examples.(See this previous post for more examples.)

ACTION #1: Republicans in U.S. House recently passed a bill to rescind $9.4 billion of previously approved funding for foreign aid ($8.3 billion) and public broadcasting ($1.1 billion). The good news is that the Trump administration is tacitly acknowledging that it is illegal for it to cut congressionally approved funding through executive orders or actions by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The vote to pass the bill was 214 to 212 and occurred only after Republican Speaker Johnson had pressured a few Republican representatives to switch their “no” votes and support the bill. [1] Republicans in both the House and the Senate have expressed concerns about this bill.

The bill would rescind funding for foreign aid programs that some of them support, such as President George W. Bush’s emergency AIDS program that has saved over 25 million lives around the globe. These cuts will ultimately harm health and result in deaths here in the U.S. as diseases spread across international borders.

It also would rescind funding that supports 1,500 public TV and radio stations, including many in rural, Republican areas where they are a vital, local resource.

ACTION #2: The Trump administration is weakening America’s cybersecurity defenses at a time when the likelihood of cyberattacks is growing. Trump fired the general who led the National Security Agency and other leaders of our cybersecurity agencies. He has cut staffing and funding for cybersecurity agencies. [2]

This makes no sense because the likelihood of cyber warfare is growing as global tensions and conflicts escalate – in Ukraine, the Middle East, and over Taiwan. U.S. adversaries Russia, Iran, China, and North Korea all have significant cyber warfare capabilities, and there are signs of cyber activity cooperation among them. Cyberattacks can be used for espionage – to steal valuable corporate or government information. Or they can be used to disrupt public infrastructure such as electric power supplies, phone and Internet services, hospitals, banks and financial services, and water supply systems. Recently, Russian hackers disabled the automatic control systems at a rural Texas municipal water plant. This was probably just a test of their capabilities or a warning about what they can do.

ACTION #3: The Trump administration, Republicans in Congress, and their wealthy backers in the financial industry are working hard to eliminate or at least emasculate the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The CFPB was created in response to the financial industry corruption that caused the 2008 financial collapse and resulted in millions of Americans losing their homes due to abusive and fraudulent mortgages. Since its creation, the CFPB has returned more than $21 billion to consumers through enforcement actions on illegal behavior by financial companies. It has also saved consumers untold additional money through its regulation of the financial industry. [3] For example, it has capped exorbitant fees such as credit card late payment penalties and bank account overdraft charges.

The Trump administration and Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have been trying to cut CFPB funding, fire its employees, and eliminate the agency. On February 14, a federal judge ordered a halt to these actions. The Trump administration responded by placing most of the CFPB staff on administrative leave and preventing them from performing their jobs.

On June 10, the head of enforcement for the CFPB resigned, writing: “It is clear that the bureau’s current leadership has no intention to enforce the law.” [4] (Russell Vought is the Acting Director of the CFPB and the Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, as well as a key author of Project 2025.)

To benefit the wealthy executives and corporations in the financial industry, the Trump administration is persistently trying to eliminate the only independent agency protecting consumers from predatory and illegal practices of financial industry companies.

YOUR ACTION: Please contact your members of Congress and ask them to oppose these actions of the Trump administration in every way they can. Urge them to speak out against these actions and to explain to their constituents the toll Trump administration’s actions are taking on them and our society.

[1] Edmondson, C., 6/12/25, “House votes to claw back $9 billion for foreign aid and public broadcasting,” The Boston Globe from the New York Times

[2] Klepper, D., 4/21/25, “Nations ready cybersecurity defenses,” The Boston Globe from the Associated Press

[3] Economic Policy Institute, 6/12/25, “Trump administration attempts to close the CFPB, block agency’s work,” (https://www.epi.org/policywatch/trump-administration-closes-the-cfpb/)

[4] Economic Policy Institute, 6/12/25, see above

ASK YOUR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE TO OPPOSE THE REPUBLICAN BUDGET

ACTION: Please contact your U.S. Representative NOW and ask them to do everything they can to stop the draconian Republican budget bill. The House will be voting soon on the bill just passed by the Senate, which has even bigger cuts to Medicaid and food assistance than the original, horrible House budget. In addition to spending cuts that will harm millions of Americans and tax cuts for wealthy individuals and corporations, it includes many other very harmful provisions.

(Note: If you find this message too long to read, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading and acting!)

The Republican budget the Senate just passed is now back in the House as it has significant differences from the bill the House originally passed. Please act NOW as the House will be voting soon. As you probably know, this budget bill makes big spending cuts in a range of government programs and services due to the need to offset some of the lost revenue from the big tax cuts for wealthy individuals and corporations. Nonetheless, the federal budget deficit will increase by over $300 billion a year. Overall, rich Americans would gain around $12,000 a year from the tax cuts, while the poorest families would lose about $1,600 on average from program cuts.

The vote in the Senate was 50 to 50, so Vice President Vance voted to break the tie and pass the bill 51 to 50. Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, switch her “Yes” vote on the procedural preliminary vote to a “No” vote. Thanks to all of you who contacted her!! All Democrats and Republican Senators Tillis (NC) and Rand (KY) also voted against the budget bill. The bill includes a number of special benefits for Alaska to buy the vote of Alaska Senator Murkowski. (See this post from The American Prospect for highlights of the bill and what was done to buy Murkowski’s vote.)

Repeating what was in my previous post, here are some key things the Republicans’ proposed budget would do (among the many harmful provisions in the bill): [1] [2] [3]

Take health care away from roughly 12 million Americans by cutting spending on Medicaid by $930 billion over ten years. Medicaid provides health insurance for millions of low-income families, including students and families of low-paid and unemployed workers. It also covers nursing home care for millions of seniors and health care for disabled individuals. This cut, combined with cuts to the Affordable Care Act and Medicare, will reduce spending and wreak havoc throughout the whole health care system.
Take food assistance away from millions of low-income households, including many new mothers and their babies, as well as students and families of low-paid and unemployed workers. It would dramatically cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps. It would also cut the Farm to School program that supports local, small farmers and provides healthy, fresh food to school lunch programs.
Increase the federal budget deficit by about $330 billion a year. This would add $3.3 trillion (yes, trillion) to the overall federal debt over the next ten years.
Extend expiring tax cuts and create new ones that will provide huge windfalls to wealthy individuals and corporations at a cost of about $4 trillion.
More than double the budget for the detention and deportation of immigrants by adding $150 billion to the budget of the Department of Homeland Security. It will add $45 billion to the budget for detention centers to increase or expand the existing 160 detention centers. This would mean ICE has more money for detention that the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
End tax credits that have been in place since 2005 that incentivize the development of wind and solar energy. [4]
Increase funding for the Defense Department by about $150 billion, including for Elon Musk’s companies. This significant increase is proposed even though there’s more waste, fraud, and abuse in the Defense Department than anywhere else in the federal government. Clearly, Trump, his administration, and Musk and DOGE don’t really care about cutting waste and making government more efficient.

Please contact your U.S. Representative NOW, as they will be voting on this bill and its provisions in the next two days. Ask them to vote against this draconian budget. Let them know you oppose tax cuts for wealthy corporations and individuals, as well as cuts in programs that benefit everyday working Americans. It’s particularly galling that the cuts in programs for low-income families are being made to offset part of the cost of the tax cuts for the wealthy.

Your contacts are important even if you don’t change someone’s mind or vote. It lets your Representative know that you are watching them and paying attention to what’s going on in Congress. If they vote for the budget in upcoming votes, it will let them know that they are jeopardizing their chances of re-election, which is key to getting them to oppose Trump in these and future votes.

You can find contact information for your US Representative at http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO! IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE!

(Note: Republican presidents (Reagan, Bush, and Trump) and Congresses have cut taxes for wealthy individuals and corporations multiple times since the 1981. These tax cuts have added over $10 trillion (yes, trillion) to the federal debt. The economic boom, jobs, increased tax revenue, and trickle down of benefits to everyday Americans they always promise have NEVER materialized. Most recently, they did not happen after the Trump and Republican tax cuts of 2017. Extending those tax cuts and adding others will not increase economic growth, will not increase tax revenue, will not create jobs, and will not trickle down to everyday Americans.)

[1] Reich, R., 6/30/25, “The worst bill in history,” Robert Reich’s daily blog (https://robertreich.substack.com/p/the-three-myths-of-trickle-down-economics)

[2] Mascaro, L., Freking, K., & Cappelletti, J., 6/29/25, “Trump’s tax and spending cuts bill clears key Senate vote as Republicans race to pass it by July 4,” The Boston Globe from the Associated Press

[3] Cox Richardson, H., 6/28/25, “Letters from an American,” (https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/june-28-2025)

[4] Reuters, 6/28/25, “Senate bill hastens end of wind, solar tax credits and imposes new tax,” U.S. News (https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2025-06-28/senate-bill-hastens-end-of-wind-solar-tax-credits-and-imposes-new-tax)