FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 3, 2025
Contact: jin.choi@mail.house.gov
Rep. Barragán Slams Final Passage of Trump’s Big Ugly Bill as a “A Cruel Betrayal of the American People”
Washington, D.C. — Today, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass Donald Trump’s Big Ugly Bill, a massive budget package that rips essential safety-net programs away from working families, children, seniors, and veterans to pay for tax breaks for billionaires. The bill passed 218 to 214. Every single House Democrat voted against the bill.
House Democrats fought until the very last minute to stop the bill’s passage. Leader Hakeem Jeffries took to the floor and delivered the longest “magic minute” speech in House history, stretching his leadership-privileged one-minute speech to nearly 9 hours to shine a national spotlight on the devastating impact this bill would have on American families and to make one last plea for Republicans to choose the well-being of their constituents over the demands of a want-to-be king and their billionaire donors .
The Big Ugly Bill now heads to President Trump’s desk, where he is expected to sign it into law. Once signed, it will mark the largest Medicaid cut in American history and one of the most aggressive redistributions of wealth from poor and working families to the ultra-rich.
“This bill is a moral failure. It’s an assault on the American people — on children, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities. It strips away health care, food assistance, and basic dignity from those who need it most to hand nearly $1.3 trillion in tax breaks to billionaires like Elon Musk. Republicans didn’t just fail our families today, they betrayed the American people,” said Rep. Nanette Barragán.
“House Democrats fought like hell to stop this bill. We held events in every corner of the country to raise the alarm. I held town halls and community conversations across my district — and heard story after story from families terrified of losing their health care, food banks warning they won’t be able to meet growing demand, and clinic directors worried they’ll have to close their doors. We introduced amendment after amendment and stayed up all night in committee hearings to expose Republican lies and cruelty and demanded better for the American people. But in the end, Republicans in Congress chose to serve Trump and their donors over their country and constituents.”
The numbers are staggering:
- $1.3 trillion slashed from Medicaid, the ACA exchanges, Medicare, and food assistance.
- 17 million Americans will lose their health care.
- 40 million people — including 16 million children, 8 million seniors, and 1.2 million veterans — will have their food assistance put at risk.
- $4 trillion added to the national debt — including $700 billion in interest — to fund tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans.
- $900 billion in Medicaid cuts alone.
- Cuts that could close 1 in 4 nursing homes nationwide.
- $500+ billion in cuts to Medicare.
- 760,000 manufacturing and clean energy jobs will be lost.
- $400 increase in average household energy bills.
- $96,400 average tax break for Americans making over $1 million — compared to just $247 for families earning less than $50,000 a year.
In California, the damage is severe:
- 2.4 million Californians will lose health insurance.
- Families in California’s 44th District covered under the Affordable Care Act will see an average premium hike of $2,060.
- 28 rural hospitals are at risk of shutting down.
- At least 368,000 Californians may lose some or all of their food assistance.
- 110,000 jobs in manufacturing and clean energy will disappear.
- $670 average yearly increase in energy bills for California families.
- Over 623,000 students in California could lose Pell Grant support for college.
“This bill is theft in plain sight,” Barragán added. “It steals from the poor and middle class to gift the rich. And for what? A few billionaire tax breaks and a cruel vision of America where working families are left behind. House Democrats will never stop fighting to reverse this damage and protect the people we were sent here to serve.”
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