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The Big Nasty: How a Budget Bill Could Destroy America [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-05-23

In November 2024, Trump won the election—barely—because he won the culture war—big time—attacking trans people and wooing the bros. He also won the economy war, the big, beautiful economy war, the “I am going to lower prices on day one” economy war. The “I will not harm Medicaid or Medicare” economy war. The “I will lower your taxes” economy war. You get the point.

But now, the tariff “taxes” loom, recession looms, inflation increases loom, job losses loom, and U.S. bond disinvestment looms. It’s the economy, stupid.

Now we have Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill” because, in his dotage, his imagination fails to come up with a better name. Still, it’s misdirection. This is the Big Harmful, Destructive, Irresponsible, Greedy, Garbage, Stupid, Ugly, Nasty Bill—forever to be known as The Big Nasty.

The Republicans in the House of Representatives passed it by one vote.

The party of fiscal responsibility? Right!

The party of deficit hawks? Hardly!

The party of balanced budgets? Really!

The party of the working class? Please!

They deliberated in the dead of night to hide what they were doing.

The bill is grand theft—stealing from the poorest, from rural America, from children, from nursing homes, from hospitals, from education, from veterans, from the poor around the world, from Medicaid, from Medicare, from states, from 401(k)s, from those with disabilities, and more—so much more.

Neither Trump, nor the Project 2025 devotees, nor the Republican Congress, nor Musk, the oligarchs, and the other ultra-wealthy, nor too many of the MAGA cult want government to work. For the wealthy, America has but one purpose: to enrich them. Not to cooperate with allies. Not to provide foreign aid to Jesus in Gaza and, as he said, “the least of these” around the world. Not to uphold and spread democracy. Not to be a global moral force. Not to be a guardian of peace. Not to be an entrepreneurial force in medicine, technology, and so many other fields. Not to be the hope of immigrants. Not to be the dream. And not to be America.

So, when the U.S. becomes completely the—“not to be”—to what country will the oligarchs and ultra-wealthy move?

The Republican House members rammed the Nasty Bill through at the last minute with no meaningful debate, no bipartisan support, and no concern for the long-term consequences. They talk tough about balancing budgets—until it’s their priorities on the line. They claim to fight for everyday Americans—while gutting programs that actually help them. The hypocrisy isn’t just staggering—it’s routine. This isn’t leadership. It’s performance politics at its most cynical.

More analysis will be required to take the full measure of the Nasty Bill because you can hide a lot in 1,116 pages. But the “King of Debt” will saddle America with at least $3.3 trillion in new national debt—on top of the record-setting $7.8 trillion added during his first term. And, of course, his next three years can add even more through unchecked deficits.

So, what does it mean? According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), 8.6 million people will lose their health coverage—mainly due to cuts in Medicaid. The bill would slash $290 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food aid to low-income Americans. Apparently, Medicare could also lose $500 billion. So much for Trump’s promise not to touch Medicaid or Medicare.

For a full list of provisions and their financial impacts, see the New York Times article, “A Complete List of Everything in the Republican Bill, and How Much It Would Cost or Save” at https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/05/23/upshot/budget-table.html. The only problem? It lists dollars—not lives affected.

And there is more hidden deep within.

For example, Section 70302—far removed from anything economic—will require plaintiffs to pay a bond before courts can use contempt power to enforce injunctions or restraining orders against the government. Even worse, this would apply retroactively to injunctions already issued. (Source: https://campaignlegal.org/update/these-hidden-provisions-budget-bill-undermine-our-democracy

This is just one clause. How much more nasty is buried beneath the surface of the Big Nasty Bill?

Now, the bill heads to the Senate. Will sanity prevail—or will the Senate join the House in burning the foundation of the American promise to the ground?

This moment demands more than outrage. It requires vigilance, analysis, and action. Because if we don’t stop The Big Nasty now, we may be standing in the ruins of a country that once was—and wondering how we let it become a place of “not to be.”

Day 124: days left to January 20, 2029: 1,338 days

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