The Republican Budget Bill Will Kill Americans
I wish I was being hyperbolic, but the facts make clear that the MAGA GOP bill ensures Americans die through sickness, homelessness, and starvation
I have long said that in the United States we do not suffer from a lack of resources for those in need, we suffer because we cannot satisfy billionaire greed.
Last night House Republicans voted to gut Medicaid and slash food and housing assistance for millions, just to hand trillions in tax cuts to 800 billionaires and billion dollar corporations. All this while America already leads the developed world in infant and maternal mortality,1 lowest life expectancy,2 and the highest levels of wealth and income inequality.3 This Republican bill will further exacerbate each of these crises. This bill is not about fiscal responsibility. It is about cruelty and concentrating power in the hands of the ultra-rich at the expense of everyday Americans. Below I share what’s in this bill, it’s current status, and one important call to action you can take to help block it in the Senate. Let’s Address This.
What’s in This Bill?
In a 217-215 vote, Republicans near unanimously (Thomas Massie of Kentucky voted with Democrats against this bill) proclaimed to all Americans that they serve 800 billionaires and a few hundred billion dollar corporations—not the 330 million Americans who elected them.
Here is what is in this horrific piece of legislation:
❌ Medicaid Cuts – The bill slashes Medicaid. Medicaid covers 60 million Americans, funds 41% of all births in the U.S., and pays for 63% of nursing home care. Cutting Medicaid will force hospitals to close, leave seniors and disabled people without care, and deny millions of children access to life-saving medical treatment, and devastate rural hospitals, which are already struggling to stay open. Remember, 9 of the top 10 states most dependent on federal welfare are Republican states. Slashing Medicaid will hurt them the most.
❌ Food Cuts – The bill severely guts the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which 41 million Americans rely on to feed their families, and guts free school lunches. This means more children sitting in class hungry, going to bed hungry, more food banks overwhelmed, and more families forced into impossible choices between rent and groceries. Again, 9 of the top 10 states with the highest levels of poverty are Republican states. Slashing food access will hurt them the most.
❌ Housing Cuts – The bill guts initiatives to help working Americans afford housing. Rather than pass legislation expanding funding for affordable housing, Republicans have further exacerbated the housing crisis at a time when homelessness is at record highs in modern times. Given that Americans need to earn 88% more now than just in 2020 to afford a home, this bill will further increase the homelessness crisis in this country.
✅ $4.5 Trillion in Tax Cuts for Billionaires & Corporations – While working people suffer cuts to healthcare, food, and housing, billionaires enjoy cuts to their already low taxes. At a time when working families are struggling, this bill hands the wealthiest Americans trillions of more dollars while defunding essential services people need to live. Remember, after the 2017 Trump tax cut of $2.1T, billionaires and massive corporations paid the lowest effective tax rate of any demographic. Now with a proposed $4.5T Trump tax cut for billionaires, this injustice will become even worse.
In short, this is not just a bad bill—it is a violent attack on working-class and vulnerable Americans. If it passes the Senate, millions will lose their healthcare, children will go hungry, homelessness will increase, and people will die so the richest in this country can buy another yacht or private jet.
What You Can Do: Call Your Senators Now
This bill is not law yet. It still has has to pass the Senate. That means that before it gets there, the Senate must hear from all of us—loudly and clearly—that we will not stand by while they strip healthcare and food assistance from millions.
📞 Call your senators today—Republican or Democrat. Demand that they vote NO. You can find their contact information here: Senate Directory
Script to Use When Calling Your Senators
"Hello, my name is [Your Name], and I am a constituent from [Your City/State]. I am calling to demand that Senator [Last Name] vote NO on the House bill that cuts Medicaid and food assistance while giving $4.5 trillion in tax breaks to billionaires. This bill will take healthcare away from millions of Americans, increase child hunger, and devastate working families—just so the wealthiest corporations can pay even less in taxes. This is unacceptable. I urge you to publicly oppose this bill and commit to voting against it. Please do the right thing and stand with the people you were elected to serve. Thank you."
Remember — Members of Congress are required to document the numbers of calls they get and the issues they get called about. Let’s flood their phone lines and overwhelm them with opposition to this barbaric piece of legislation.
Conclusion
As I’ve said before, from the perspective of us working Americans, this is not a MAGA vs Liberal, or Republican vs Progressive battle. This is class warfare of the billionaire elite against the rest of us. Do not buy into the culture wars, and instead stand united in this class war that threatens to deny hundreds of millions of Americans the basic healthcare, food, and housing access we need to live.
We cannot allow a system where 330 million Americans suffer so 800 billionaires can hoard even more wealth. We have the power to stop this—but only if we take action. Call your senators. Share this article. Spread the word. Demand justice. Fight back.
https://www.ajmc.com/view/us-has-highest-infant-maternal-mortality-rates-despite-the-most-health-care-spending
https://www.kff.org/other/slide/the-u-s-has-the-lowest-life-expectancy-among-large-wealthy-countries-while-far-outspending-them-on-health-care/
https://apps.urban.org/features/wealth-inequality-charts/
Thank you for writing these Substacks, Qasim, I really appreciate reading them. I’m disabled with a rare genetic connective tissue disorder, and Medicaid and SNAP are my lifelines. If the Senate votes to pass the budget and the cuts are enacted, I will probably have to move back to Pakistan, which, as you know, has inadequate healthcare and no insurance program. I am terrified.
The saddest part is that the MAGA republicans in Congress don’t give a damn about the poor. So sad, so disgusting, so hateful, and very very stupid.