Washington, D.C. — Today, the U.S. Senate voted to begin consideration of the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act. Members are expected to vote on final passage of the legislation in the coming hours or days. Neera Tanden, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, released the following statement:
In the coming hours, senators will vote on a rushed bill that would amount to the worst legislation for working-class people any Congress has ever passed. If enacted, the bill would raise the cost of health care, food, and utilities for the working class and put more than a million construction, energy, and health care jobs at risk—all while giving massive tax breaks to billionaires.
This bill cuts Medicaid by nearly $1 trillion (by far the largest ever), leads to more than 16 million people losing their coverage, and puts benefits at risk for seniors and people with disabilities. It also rips food out of the mouths of millions of vulnerable Americans, including veterans and kids, while forcing states to increase taxes or cut even more people off from receiving food assistance. And it undermines America’s energy security and increases gas prices at a time Americans are pleading for their leaders to address the cost of living.
If they vote for this bill, so-called conservatives—many of whom have campaigned on cutting the debt and signing anti-tax pledges for years—will explode the debt by trillions of dollars and enact new, punitive taxes on American energy producers.
No last-minute backroom deals can fix this irreparable bill, which is why senators must reject it. I plead with the American people to make their voices heard, including contacting their members of Congress, right now.