in Politics 1,160 Words

Thoughts about the “Big, Beautiful Bill”

I didn’t plan to blog today, but the I received an email from my Congressional Representative. (I refer to him as “Representative” only because that is his title. He represents me in name only.)

My frustration and disgust with the way things are going in the United States this year builds up in me until I just have to rant. I tried to wait a whole week, but it didn’t work out. I really am trying to be a better person, but the powers that be are making it ever so difficult.

I originally titled today’s post, “Thoughts about Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” but then I realized that it’s not Trump’s bill any more. Both houses of Congress now own it. And every U.S. Representative seat and one-third of the U.S. Senate seats will be up for grabs in November 2026. It’s interesting how all but a handful of the Republicans gleefully voted for it.

Photo Credit: Andra C. Taylor Jr on unsplash.com

The Big, Beautiful Bill

The so-called Big, Beautiful Bill was narrowly passed by the House of Representatives and was sent to the Senate. The Senate made some changes to it and it passed by one vote only because Vice President J.D. Vance voted to break the tie after Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska caved in to pressure from her fellow Republicans.

At least in the end, North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis decided to come down on the right side of history. He voted against the bill on the Senate’s final vote because he knew it would take Medicaid coverage away from probably more than 600,000 North Carolinians and possibly result in the closure of some rural hospitals.

The bill then returned to the House of Representatives where it was once again approved by a narrow margin. President Trump signed it into law on Friday with his big, beautiful black Sharpie pen while fighter jets flew over the White House. All his celebrations seem excessive, very expensive, and “in your face” to most Americans.

Polls showed that 60% of Americans were against the bill, but Donald Trump rules and 99% of the Republicans in the House and Senate fall in line without question. After all, they left their consciences at the door when they went in to cast their votes.

Speaking of the Big, Beautiful Bill, according to US Senator Ted Budd…

I received a newsletter from Ted Budd, one of the US Senators from North Carolina. This is how he explained how wonderful Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill is and why he voted for the bill that increased our national debt by more than $3 trillion:

“This week, the Senate amended and passed President Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill,’ which included major reforms to slow the ballooning cost of government programs and root out waste, fraud, and abuse.

“The bottom line is this – the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ lowers taxes for families, makes our country safer and more secure, and unleashes economic growth for the future.

“I voted in favor of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act because the people of North Carolina deserve more of their hard-earned wages, a more secure border, a reinvigorated military, responsible spending reforms for government programs, and a thriving economy.

  • “Helping Americans keep more money in their pockets by extending key provisions of President Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Preventing the largest tax increase in American history will save the average North Carolinian $2,474 in 2026.
  • “Working families will receive significant savings with the increase and permanence of the child tax credit, expanded tax credits for paid leave, enhanced 529 savings accounts, and additional childcare access.
  • “This legislation lowers taxes for seniors relying on Social Security.

“AND SO MUCH MORE …”

Yeah, right, Senator Budd. You just keep believing that.

Interesting that he forgot to mention what the bill did to Medicaid recipients in North Carolina and the national debt.

U.S. Representative Mark Harris’ email about the Big, Beautiful Bill

The icing on the cake for me was when I received a response on Tuesday from US Representative Mark Harris. I had emailed him (again… and again) imploring him to represent the people of the 8th District of NC instead of Donald Trump.

Since he is (or was) a Baptist minister, I finally even pulled the Christianity card on him … to no avail. With the fraud that surrounded his campaign a few years ago in which his own son testified against him and which forced him to drop out of that race, I was not surprised that my words about “caring for the least of these” fell on deaf ears.

His response to me was, in part: “On July 3, 2025, I proudly voted in favor of the Senate Amendment to H.R. 1 when it passed the House by a vote of 218 to 214. It was signed into law by President Trump on July 4, 2025. With this crucial reconciliation package across the finish line, President Trump will be empowered to continue leading America into a new golden age.

“First and foremost, this legislation unlocks President Trump’s America First agenda and will help keep our economy strong by lowering taxes for individuals, families, and small businesses.”

After listing a few of the wonderful ways the bill will make us all rich again in this “golden age” he wrote, “Additionally, the bill fulfills our promise to keep our communities safe and our country sovereign. It fully funds our border security by providing $175 billion to hire of thousands of new ICE agents, add detention beds, bring on more immigration judges to streamline the deportation of illegal aliens, and complete a strong and secure border wall.”

Jesus must be so proud of him!

Mr. Harris, I’m sure you will seek reelection in 2026, because you obviously have no shame and haven’t read the New Testament in a very long time. You are actually proud of voting for $175 billion to hire thousands of new ICE agents and add detention beds!

Mr. Harris, will the thousands of new ICE agents be as heartless and cowardly as the ones we already have who are afraid to show their faces? Will they be as sick as the officers who showed up in Los Angeles this week just to intimidate families enjoying an afternoon in a public park?

Everything about this “Big, Beautiful Bill” makes me sick. It reeks of turning America into a police state. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer, the sick get sicker, and no one but the wealthiest among us know who or what they can depend on.

Mr. Harris’ email sent me right over the edge last night. I’ve never felt so un-represented in my life.

Until my next blog post

I hope you have a good book to read.

Do what you can to give aid and comfort to the people affected by the flood in Texas.

Remember the people of Ukraine and western North Carolina.

Janet

29 thoughts on “Thoughts about the “Big, Beautiful Bill””

  4. There are so many days now when I ask myself, “What’s the point of continuing the fight?” but then something triggers the fight in me again. We are living through a textbook case of how to turn a democracy into an authoritarian state, and I marvel at how an entire political party has been hoodwinked into abandoning all their principles and Christian beliefs to follow a buffoon. I don’t see any way out. Germany recovered, but how many decades did it take? At least in the afterlife we won’t have to worry about Trump and his ilk.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. The newspapers here are full of it too… and rightly so. The enormous increase in national debt is cause for concern. But just as alarming is the antisocial nature of the policy: those already struggling risk being left even further behind. Analysts here often write that fear of Trump was the main driver behind pushing this bill through Congress. And fear is the worst advisor one can have. That much is certain.

    In that context, I was reminded of the words of Khalid Benhaddou in his opinion piece in Knack:

    “We live in a time when the moral expectations of those in authority are under pressure. In the past, a title meant something. Imam, rabbi, priest, professor, mayor—those weren’t just empty words, but signs of trust. People expected you to speak with conscience and carefully chosen words. Today, that trust is no longer a given. And while that’s painful, perhaps it’s also a necessary wake-up call.”
    His words give pause for thought, especially when you see how many people — without titles or platforms — do have the courage to stand on the right side of history, while others use their position for prestige or political gain, at the expense of justice and human dignity.

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  10. I think we’re coming around to the fact that for the foreseeable future we are living in a fascist state run by madmen who delight in torturing other people, particularly the disadvantaged. Now what? How are we supposed to live with this?

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  11. Matroos, thank you so much for your words. I feel like a punching bag. Every single day we get hit with multiple new concerns from the Trump regime. I continue to call it an administration in my blogs, but it truly is a regime and perhaps I need to stop trying to be civil. To know that they have built that so-called “detention center” in the Everglades amongst the alligators and pythons (which are not native but have been introduced into the swamp by stupid individuals!) is chilling me to my core. There are reports — but I don’t have the proof I need before I put it in a blog post — that the food there is full of maggots and — like that horrible prison in El Salvador — the lights are on 24/7. And I can only imagine what kind of a person would apply for a job there as a guard or cook or anything else! The thoughts of this regime hiring thousands more ICE agents and building more “detention centers” is deplorable and frightening. Trump claimed he was going to deport 12-20 million immigrants, so my question is: If you’re deporting them, why do you need to build so many detention centers to warehouse them in? Meanwhile… as to healthcare. Ninety-two percent of the people on Medicaid are working. The other eight percent are destitute and in nursing homes. So all the propaganda about suddenly requiring anyone on Medicaid to get a job is a lie. To get on Medicaid for your healthcare covering, you cannot own any property and you have to meet low-income requirements. There are thousands of people in nursing homes who had to sell their home and then spend down all their financial resources like paying for their care in a nursing home before they were eligible to apply for Medicaid. For Trump and the other politicians to proclaim that everyone on Medicaid must now get a job in which they work at least 80 hours-a-month is ludicrous. I don’t know any businesses that want to hire an 85-year-old person with Alzheimer’s Disease! It is ridiculous and it is degrading to the poor souls who are on Medicaid. No one chooses to be so poor that they have to go on Medicaid. It was put in place as part of the social safety net, but now recipients are being held up for ridicule by the US President and most of the Republican politicians — who are all so rich they don’t have to worry about ever needing Medicaid. When you said, “at the expense of justice and human dignity,” you hit the nail on the head. I couldn’t have said it better. Thank you for sharing Khalid Benhaddou’s words. The voices of reason are falling on deaf ears in Washington, DC. Like you said, fear is the worst advisor one can have. I believe there are too many people who have been elected to our Senate and our House of Representatives who have no courage. That combined with the fact that most are unqualified for the task, makes for a doomsday combination. And now, the US Supreme Court has repeatedly let us down in multiple rulings this spring. When they reconvene in the fall, they will be faced with making a landmark decision regarding the Constitutionality of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution: birthright citizenship. The politicians who want the amendment struck down claim it only pertained to the children of former slaves after the Civil War. But that isn’t true. The word “slave” is not found in the amendment. It is written very plainly that anyone born in the United States is automatically a U.S. citizen. If the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down that amendment, I believe much more of our foundation as a nation will fall. Every day, I think it cannot get worse, but it gets worse before that day is over. I know that it can get much worse, and I believe it will. Who would have ever thought this would happen in the United States of America?

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  12. At least one of your two Senators voted his conscience and then decided to retire rather than continue to deal with TACO. Soon we will have no Republicans willing to stand up to our Toddler ❄️.

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  13. Yes. Too bad Tillis didn’t grow a spine a few years — or even a few months — ago! For months he talked the talk but when it came down to voting, he never voted against Trump’s agenda until last week. Now, with his retirement, we face the possibility of electing US Senator Lara Trump. The nightmare continues! We think former Governor Roy Cooper will run for the seat. He was a popular governor, but God only knows how he would fare against a Trump. Can North Carolina find any more ways to be the laughingstock of the country? I mean, really. We had Jesse Helms for what seemed like 100 years. We had Gov. McCrory who was a pretty good mayor of Charlotte, but when he went to Raleigh he lost his mind. He was mayor of Charlotte for crying out loud, but when he campaigned for governor he put on blue jeans and stood in a barn — overnight he became a good ole boy. He told us, “Don’t put your stupid hats on!” every time we had a hurricane. We had Mark Meadows. Now we have Virginia Foxx. And the list goes on…. Every time Lara Trump is mentioned as possibly running for the Senate, all I can think of is Stephen Colbert playing the clip of her singing, “I Won’t Back Down.” She can’t sing. If that song becomes her campaign theme, I will have to get rid of my TV.

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  15. That harpy would be terrifying. Hopefully someone decent will win the election. Trump declared bankruptcy four times. Since he has blurred the lines between his business interests and those of the country, the US may be his biggest bankruptcy yet.

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  16. I’m afraid you are right. That’s how I feel now. The early days of hoping people would rise up are over. The things I’m reading that the CBS station in Miami is reporting about the conditions at Alligator Alcatraz are sickening. Why do we need so many detention centers to warehouse people in? I thought they were going to be deported. And what kind of person would even apply for a job at Alligator Alcatraz or ICE? I can’t imagine that a single one of them are good people. I figure most of ICE are January 6 alumni, KKK, Proud Boys, etc. I don’t know how we are supposed to function now, Liz. I see a TV commercial and it strikes me that there are people in America who are still living a regular life. I realize that there must be a parallel universe where live is going on as if nothing bad has happened. I’ve tried to visualize going forward and how my everyday life will be. How will it be different? Will there be armed goons patrolling the streets to keep us all in line? Is my name already on a list? Will I be rounded up one day and sent to Alcatraz or South Sudan or El Salvadore, or since I am old and have some health issues will I just be turned out on the street and shot? When I finish writing my novel, will I be allowed to publish it? Will we have bookstores? We probably won’t have libraries. Indeed, how are we supposed to live with this? I’ve decided that ignorance is bliss. I know too much history for my own mental health.

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  17. Thank you, Lisa! I am trying to hang in there. This was never what I intended when I started blogging more than 10 years ago, but I can’t seem to keep quiet now.

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  20. Never stop speaking out!

    “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter” MLK

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  23. I don’t think the masked thugs dressed up as ICE officers belong to ICE. I remember working with an ICE agent from California to help him get college credit for his training. What we’re seeing now is not how ICE agents are trained or how the agency operates. I really can’t imagine where we go from here. Judges have upheld the law and the Constitution in case after case after case. 💩just ignores the court orders, and the Supreme Court backs him.

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  26. These Republican Senators who pretend they’ll vote against things to get some publicity and then cave in at the last moment have even less integrity than the ones who jump gleefully aboard the Trump train. On a (sort of) lighter note, have you been following the Grok story? Gave the game away by coming out as a full-on Nazi and renaming itself MechaHitler. You have to hope even Elon Musk found that just a bit embarrassing…

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  27. Yes, I’ve been following that. AI Lesson #One: I can outsmart even you and come back to bite you. One would hope Musk is embarrassed, but I’m not sure that’s possible. And now Mr. South Africa is going to buy his own American political party.

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  28. Dear Janet,
    What you wrote moved me deeply. It’s hard to grasp how quickly things can shift — how fragile civilization turns out to be, even when we thought it was solid.
    Your outrage is justified and necessary. Keep speaking, keep writing. Voices like yours must not fall silent.
    Sending strength and solidarity from here.

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  29. Thank you so much for your words of support and encouragement, Matroos. I am already so weary of having to write about the chaos. All the while, life goes on as if nothing is wrong, as if nothing dreadful and unthinkable is happening to the U.S. Government — which is “we the people.” Too many Americans are not saying a word. I’m left not knowing if they approve of what is happening or are they unwilling to voice their disapproval. I’m so tired of hearing individuals say, “I don’t watch the news. It’s too depressing.” I want to scream in their faces. I’m so tired of hearing individuals say, “I’m not interested in politics.” I also want to scream in their faces. In the 2000s, we have been handed the greatest country in the history of the world, so how dare any U.S. citizen refuse to keep up with current events. How dare they refuse to open their mouths. How dare a single one of them not take time to vote! They are now getting what they deserve, but the rest of us do not deserve this. At least when future generations ask how Americans in 2025 allowed our democracy’s downfall, my blog posts out there in cyberspace will still exist to prove that some of us resisted. It is encouraging to know that people in Europe and Australia are watching what is going on here and are appalled and supportive of any efforts to fight the Trump regime. It is a strange feeling to know that the rest of the world recognizes what is happening, but perhaps still half of the Americans cannot see it. I will never understand how half of the people living in the most blessed country in the world are now filled with hate for anyone who does not look or think like they do. I don’t understand why wealthy people like Trump keep saying that we are victims — that we have been taken advantage of by the rest of the world, particularly by our allies. Those words by Trump are empty and baseless, but his cult members go along with and believe everything he says. It is exhausting. Thank you so very much for each of your messages to me. They keep me going.

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