On July 4, President Donald J. Trump triumphantly signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law shortly after it was passed by Congress, following a long and contentious journey in the House and Senate. In a press briefing announcing the signing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the bill would “officially usher in the Golden Age of America.” The problem is, given what the bill contains, it will be far from a golden age for many in the country.
Trying to get to the heart of the bill and its implications is not easy work. Weaving through the various spins and reports on what it contains makes it even harder. But the facts are that there will be significant cuts to health care and nutrition programs, like Medicaid and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).
The bill also includes tax cuts that will increase inequality between the classes. It strips tax incentives for wind, solar, and other renewable energy projects. It includes more than $45 billion to expand detention capacity for immigrants in custody and about $30 billion in funding for hiring, training, and other resources for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. And $3–4 trillion will be added to the national debt over the next 10 years.
Real-Life Implications
That’s a lot to process. What’s even harder to wrap one’s head around is the reality of the number of people who will be directly impacted by those items—many in a devastating way.
In a statement reacting to the passage of the bill, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops points out, “As its provisions go into effect, people will lose access to health care and struggle to buy groceries, family members will be separated, and vulnerable communities will be less prepared to cope with environmental impacts of pollution and extreme weather.” That statement hits home even harder given the recent weather-related tragedy in Texas that resulted in the loss of over 130 lives.
And even that’s just a surface-level summation of what is expected. The reality will be felt by the people struggling to find health care, food, or a way to pay the bills.
Time for Action
When we talk about issues on such a high level, it can often be difficult to follow them down the road and see their implications for people’s daily lives. Some of what was decided may not directly affect us. But it will affect someone. It may be a family member, a friend, a neighbor, or a fellow parishioner, but odds are, we will in some way feel the implications of this bill. And that is where we are called to action—our faith compels us.
The bishops agree. “The Catholic Church’s teaching to uphold human dignity and the common good compels us to redouble our efforts and offer concrete help to those who will be in greater need and continue to advocate for legislative efforts that will provide better possibilities in the future for those in need,” they wrote.
We may have become numb to the core message of the beatitudes, but its directive rings true now more than ever. “Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me” (Mt 25:45). It serves as a call to action.
A Bill That’s Anything but Beautiful
On July 4, President Donald J. Trump triumphantly signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law shortly after it was passed by Congress, following a long and contentious journey in the House and Senate. In a press briefing announcing the signing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the bill would “officially usher in the Golden Age of America.” The problem is, given what the bill contains, it will be far from a golden age for many in the country.
Trying to get to the heart of the bill and its implications is not easy work. Weaving through the various spins and reports on what it contains makes it even harder. But the facts are that there will be significant cuts to health care and nutrition programs, like Medicaid and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).
The bill also includes tax cuts that will increase inequality between the classes. It strips tax incentives for wind, solar, and other renewable energy projects. It includes more than $45 billion to expand detention capacity for immigrants in custody and about $30 billion in funding for hiring, training, and other resources for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. And $3–4 trillion will be added to the national debt over the next 10 years.
Real-Life Implications
That’s a lot to process. What’s even harder to wrap one’s head around is the reality of the number of people who will be directly impacted by those items—many in a devastating way.
In a statement reacting to the passage of the bill, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops points out, “As its provisions go into effect, people will lose access to health care and struggle to buy groceries, family members will be separated, and vulnerable communities will be less prepared to cope with environmental impacts of pollution and extreme weather.” That statement hits home even harder given the recent weather-related tragedy in Texas that resulted in the loss of over 130 lives.
And even that’s just a surface-level summation of what is expected. The reality will be felt by the people struggling to find health care, food, or a way to pay the bills.
Time for Action
When we talk about issues on such a high level, it can often be difficult to follow them down the road and see their implications for people’s daily lives. Some of what was decided may not directly affect us. But it will affect someone. It may be a family member, a friend, a neighbor, or a fellow parishioner, but odds are, we will in some way feel the implications of this bill. And that is where we are called to action—our faith compels us.
The bishops agree. “The Catholic Church’s teaching to uphold human dignity and the common good compels us to redouble our efforts and offer concrete help to those who will be in greater need and continue to advocate for legislative efforts that will provide better possibilities in the future for those in need,” they wrote.
We may have become numb to the core message of the beatitudes, but its directive rings true now more than ever. “Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me” (Mt 25:45). It serves as a call to action.