Why you should care about the "big, beautiful bill"
Here's the deal - the proposed changes to Medicaid & SNAP would impact someone you know.
Listen, I know you’re tired of hearing about this “big, beautiful bill,” but here’s the deal: this massive Republican-led tax and spending bill will affect someone you know or your own expenses down the line.
Here are the stats:
The latest version of this bill passed in the Senate Tuesday afternoon after Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote. No surprise here - every Democratic Senator voted against the measure, and then three Republicans joined them with no votes as well.
The proposal is a combination of tax breaks, spending cuts, and new money for Republican priorities like immigration.
I’m not joking when I say this bill is MASSIVE - we’re talking about nearly 900 pages. That’s why I want to focus on two major aspects of the bill - proposed cuts to federal support for health insurance and food assistance.
Here’s the deal on proposed Medicaid cuts:
A LOT of people rely on Medicaid for healthcare coverage. As of March, more than 71 million people were enrolled in the program, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
This includes children, pregnant women, seniors, and individuals living with disabilities. The federal agency states, “Medicaid is the single largest source of health coverage in the United States.”
Now that you have the stats, here’s how the bill would affect recipients.
The bill calls for more than a trillion dollars in cuts to Medicaid, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
Millions of people could also lose their healthcare coverage because of new work requirements in the bill. Most able-bodied Americans between the ages of 19 to 64 would have to work, volunteer, attend school, or participate in job training for at least 80 hours of month to qualify for coverage through Medicaid expansion. This requirement would also apply to parents with kids, 14 and older.
But wait, there are some exemptions for pregnant women, those with disabilities, and main caregivers for young children, according to the AP.
If the bill is passed, the CBO estimates nearly 12 million people wouldn’t have health insurance by 2034. According to the analysis, this number includes more than a million immigrants “who would no longer be covered in state-only funded programs in 2034.”
Here’s the deal on SNAP changes
Another part of the “big, beautiful bill” would affect the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP (the formal name for food stamps). It’s the nation’s largest nutrition assistance program, supporting more than 40 million people nationwide.
Estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office show the plan would cut nearly $200 billion from SNAP through 2034 — the largest cut in the program’s history!
Some policy experts warn that 1 in 8 individuals who receive SNAP benefits would be affected by these cuts. This includes 800,000 kids and more than a million seniors and adults living with disabilities.
The proposal would also expand existing work requirements to receive SNAP benefits to those who are 55 to 64 years old, along with parents of kids 14 and older.
Currently, certain groups are exempt from these work mandates, including veterans, former foster care youth, and individuals experiencing homelessness. This proposal would end those exemptions starting October 2030.
This is just a snapshot of the legislation and some of the potential impacts nationwide.
Here’s what happens next:
Today, the House is back in session at 9am/ET. The House Rules Committee is expected to meet at 1:30pm/ET to discuss the legislation as well.
Both chambers must pass the same version of the bill before it can become law. Right now, President Trump’s self-imposed deadline for the bill’s passage is this Friday, July 4th.