‘Big Ugly Bill': California's top officials excoriate Trump's big bill while it is debated in Senate

San Francisco Chronicle​

3 days ago

California's top Democrats condemned President Donald Trump's signature domestic policy package Sunday, as the U.S. Senate continued to debate its version of Trump's 'big, beautiful bill.'
The legislation is a vast array of tax breaks and spending cuts, plus additional money for national defense and deportations, that Republicans say are crucial to keeping the country running. Democrats, however, have said it will destroy state budgets and lives, particularly among the most vulnerable who rely on government-funded programs.
'Millions will lose health care. Hundreds of thousands of jobs will be lost. Electricity costs will skyrocket. Needy families will lose access to food,' Gov. Gavin Newsom posted on the social media platform X on Sunday. 'The GOP's budget bill does all that so @realDonaldTrump can give hundreds of billions in tax breaks to his rich friends.'
'Late last night, Senate Republicans voted to advance Trump's Big Ugly Bill that strips health care from nearly a million people MORE than the version passed by the House,' California Sen. Alex Padilla also posted to X on Sunday. 'All to give tax breaks to big corporations and billionaires.'
As of Sunday night, Senators were still debating the measure, which Trump had wanted to sign by July 4. The bill must still win final House approval, as well.
The Associated Press reported Sunday that a new analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that the Senate bill would increase the deficit by nearly $3.3 trillion from 2025 to 2034, which is nearly $1 trillion more than the House-passed bill. The office also concluded that nearly 12 million Americans would lose their health insurance by 2034 if the bill becomes law.
The legislation would make permanent many of the tax breaks from Trump's first term that were set to expire by year's end, while adding new breaks, leading to a total of $4 trillion in tax cuts. The Senate package would also roll back billions in green energy tax credits and impose roughly $1.2 trillion in cuts, mostly to Medicaid and food assistance, while committing $350 billion to national security, part of which would pay for Trump's mass deportation agenda, according to the Associated Press.
California Democrats have warned that the cuts, particularly to Medicaid, would decimate federal spending by imposing more checks on enrollees and providers, establishing work requirements and reducing funding to states that provide insurance to undocumented immigrants.
To compensate, state lawmakers have said that states will need to raise taxes and shift funds from other programs. More than a quarter of Californians are on the state's Medicaid program, including 41% of all children, 49% of adults with disabilities and 41% of people living in nursing homes.
Throughout the weekend, California representatives turned to X to weigh in. On Sunday, California Sen. Adam Schiff said that Trump's 'Big Ugly Bill' would strip health insurance away from millions of people while driving up energy costs.
'The longer this bill exposed to the sunlight,' U.S. Rep. Lateefah Simon, D-Oakland, wrote on Saturday. 'The more people will be able to see what this Republican disaster really is: an unforgivable betrayal of American values and governance that will cause significant, tangible harm to millions of people nationwide for years to come AND disproportionately impact communities of color, the disability community, and seniors.'
'GOP Senators whose states will be screwed by Trump's budget bill are now cutting side deals, eg, exempt Alaska from SNAP work requirements & give $ to rural hospitals,' State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, also wrote. 'All in service of kicking tens of millions off health care & food assistance to fund tax cuts for rich people.'