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NewDEALers Oppose the Federal Reconciliation Bills Cuts to Food Assistance and Health Care That Will Hurt the American People

News Category: Media, Statements and Press Releases

NewDEALers Oppose the Federal Reconciliation Bills Cuts to Food Assistance and Health Care That will Hurt the American People

For Immediate Release:

DATE: July 10th, 2025

CONTACT: Christian Hall, The NewDEAL, christian@newdealleaders.org

Washington, D.C. – The NewDEAL strongly opposes the cuts included in the reconciliation bill signed into law last week that will undermine the federal government’s partnership with states to provide health care and food assistance to those in our country who need it most.

The bill represents a significant step in the wrong direction and will make life less affordable for millions of Americans and add trillions of dollars to the national debt.

Response from NewDEAL Leaders

Kate Gallego, Arizona, Phoenix Mayor shared with the press potential consequences of the Big Beautiful Bill with regards to how it could affect Arizona’s clean energy industry. She said “these are real impacts, and it will get much worse if these clean energy tax credits are not extended. Arizonans could see energy costs rise by 13%. It'd be a threat to our economic growth and stunt the development of cutting-edge industries delivering reliable energy at a time when demand is only growing."
Sean Scanlon, Connecticut Comptroller, told press that “economic impact may not be fully understood yet, but the underlying ideology is familiar. ‘What we do know is that history has always shown this trickle-down economics just doesn’t work’ he said, ‘But we got your back. We’re not going to let the people of Connecticut fall through the cracks.’”
Fentrice Driskell, Florida State Representative posted on X: “The “Big Beautiful Bill” is a big, ugly hit to Florida’s health care system. It slashes $800 billion from Medicaid, threatening coverage for 1 in 6 Floridians, including millions of children. These cuts would leave hospitals underfunded, communities underserved, and families in crisis. Your county will be required to foot the bill for indigent care so billionaires get a tax break. We should be expanding access to care, not tearing it down.”
Lauren McLean, Boise, Idaho Mayor, told the press that the Big Beautiful Bill could trigger the sale of millions of acres of public lands and shared that “The removal of lands — putting them in public lands in private hands — increases risk to our communities from wildfire, takes away the very culture and life that all of us rely on to get outside, to connect, to take advantage of what’s in our backyard. It sells off things that belong to every one of us.”
Juliana Stratton, Illinois Lt. Governor, told press, “There is nothing beautiful about a bill that was written to crush the poorest people under the boots of the wealthiest. It is an ugly act to take healthcare away from more than 17 million Americans—one that will lead to preventable deaths and meaningless pain.” She also posted on X: “From the 68% of Illinois nursing home residents who rely on Medicaid to the 1.4 million kids it covers, the big ugly bill is going to make it harder for people at every stage of life to get the care they need.”
Zach Wahls, Iowa State Senator posted on X: “What doesn’t get talked about enough: the Medicaid cuts in the "BBB" will devastate rural hospitals, especially in Iowa. Staff cuts. Lost services. Closures. A political choice so the GOP can fund tax breaks for the rich. It’s cruel. And it’s preventable.”
Jazz Lewis, Maryland State Delegate posted on X: “This Independence Day highlights a dichotomy: while the federal government steps back, Maryland strides forward. In the realms of healthcare access, our proactive stance embodies the true spirit of liberty—ensuring wellness for all, a cornerstone of genuine freedom.”
Kim Driscoll, Massachusetts Lt. Governor, issued a joint press release that said the Big Beautiful Bill “will take away health care for hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts residents and threatens closures of rural hospitals, nursing homes and community health centers. It will increase health care and energy costs for every person and business. And it will take away food from millions of families, children, veterans, seniors and people with disabilities.”
Garlin Gilchrist, Michigan Lt. Gov posted on X from a 4th of July parade and shared his thoughts about the Big Beautiful Bill: “This Fourth of July I’m thinking about how America can live up to the best of our ideals. After the MAGA Murder budget that Republicans championed to cut SNAP benefits and gut Medicaid, we need to continue to stand tall for equity, freedom, and a system that supports everyone.”
Quinton Lucas, Mayor of Kansas City, told press: "What they did this time was undermined, destabilized health care in rural Missouri and rural middle America and rural parts of our entire country. You are going to see is more hospitals closed in rural parts of America. You are going to see more people die and more people die earlier in rural America. If ever there has been a bill that lets lots of people in the red states, and I happen to live in one, know that our leadership does not care about you, it is this bill." He also posted on X: “I’ll keep sharing the harms of the Big Bill—which undermines Medicaid and healthcare access for kids, mothers, and families who need it, betrays Rural America and all of our cities large and small.”
Sydney Batch, North Carolina Senate Democratic Leader, told press: “Trump’s so-called ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ strips health care from over 660,000 people, forces our state to choose between feeding children or gutting local budgets, and hikes electricity bills for working families. And it does all of this while the GOP’s billionaire friends get another tax break.”
Jay Chaudhuri, North Carolina Senator, said at a town hall: “For anyone who listened to Tillis’ speech, I think that was as thorough an analysis as you will find. He came to the conclusion that, bottom line, the ‘big, beautiful bill’ will cost the state, at the best case scenario $26 billion over 10 years, $32 billion, worst case scenario. You’re going to take away their chemotherapy coverage for cancer in order to give tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires, and create a huge fiscal deficit in the process? What part of the bill actually resonates with the public?” He also posted on X: “With the passage of the #BigBeautifulBill, we’re confronting a MEDICAID EXPANSION CLIFF in the next decade. The most thorough analysis comes from @SenThomTillis' office that estimates $32 billion impact to the North Carolina budget and hospitals over the next decade.”
Austin Davis, Pennsylvania Lt. Governor shared that “The Senate in D.C. has just passed one of the most dangerous and destructive bills we've seen in modern memory. Thousands of Pennsylvanians will lose health care, children will go hungry, rural hospitals will close, clean energy is gutted, and high-quality education is at risk – all to provide tax breaks for billionaires and create a massive financial burden for the entire country. This will be devastating if passed by the House and I urge the members of the PA congressional delegation to oppose this bill.”
Jordan Harris, Pennsylvania House Majority Appropriations Chairman, told press: “This bill is a direct attack on the health and wellbeing of Pennsylvanians. It strips health care from working families, risks food insecurity, threatens to close hospitals and clinics, and shifts crushing costs onto our communities -- all to hand out tax breaks to billionaires. I know the state budget can’t absorb the damage this bill would cause. Lives will be at risk, and we cannot afford to sit silently while people’s health is treated like a bargaining chip.”
Joanna McClinton, Pennsylvania House Speaker, wrote: “I am disgusted that on the eve of our nation’s celebration of independence and triumph over tyranny, that Republicans in Congress have risked American freedom by thrusting us back under the control of an authoritarian leader; pledging their allegiance to Donald Trump and ignoring the people they represent.”
Jeff Yarbro, Tennessee State Senator posted on X: “It’s insane to go an extra $4 trillion in debt (that’s $30,000 for every household), cause more than 10 million people to lose their healthcare, sell off public lands, and liquidate energy investments just so you can give tax cuts aimed at the wealthiest people in the country.”
Michael Feggans, Virginia Delegate posted on X about conversations he had on the campaign trail while knocking on voters' doors that “centered on fears of losing Medicaid and affordability issues that impact families every day.”
Cavalier Johnson, Mayor of Milwaukee WI, told press: “What the president is going to sign is a bill that’s going to kick millions of people off of health insurance. He’s going to sign a bill that’s going to make kids in our country hungry. He’s going to sign a bill that doesn’t allow for investments in neighborhoods like this all over the United States."