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Dean Baker, CEPR founder, discusses tariffs and the Big Beautiful Bill effect on the working class. [1]

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Date: 2025-07-13

Economist & co-founder of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, Dean Baker, criticizes the Big Beautiful Bill and tariffs as policies that harm the American Economy and the working class.

Dean Baker, CEPR founder, speaks.

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Summary

Dean Baker, co-founder of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), delivered a scathing analysis of Trump’s economic policies, revealing how the “Big Beautiful Bill” and tariff strategy constitute a massive upward redistribution of wealth disguised as populist measures. Baker argued that the legislation primarily benefits wealthy elites while imposing regressive taxes on working-class Americans through tariffs that will cost families thousands annually.

Healthcare Catastrophe : Baker warned that the legislation will strip healthcare from 12-17 million Americans while claiming to save $800 billion, creating a healthcare crisis that will devastate working families and close hospitals in vulnerable communities.

: Baker warned that the legislation will strip healthcare from 12-17 million Americans while claiming to save $800 billion, creating a healthcare crisis that will devastate working families and close hospitals in vulnerable communities. Upward Redistribution Disguised as Populism : Baker exposed how Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” delivers massive tax cuts to the wealthy while offering minimal benefits to working people through gimmicky measures like tax-free tips and overtime that help few Americans in practice.

: Baker exposed how Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” delivers massive tax cuts to the wealthy while offering minimal benefits to working people through gimmicky measures like tax-free tips and overtime that help few Americans in practice. Tariffs as Regressive Taxation : The economist demonstrated how tariffs function as a deeply regressive tax that disproportionately hits low- and moderate-income families, who spend larger portions of their income on goods subject to tariffs rather than services.

: The economist demonstrated how tariffs function as a deeply regressive tax that disproportionately hits low- and moderate-income families, who spend larger portions of their income on goods subject to tariffs rather than services. Media Complicity in Class Warfare : Baker identified systematic media bias that favors wealthy interests, explaining how reporters face pressure when covering stories that challenge the rich but encounter no pushback for content that serves elite interests.

: Baker identified systematic media bias that favors wealthy interests, explaining how reporters face pressure when covering stories that challenge the rich but encounter no pushback for content that serves elite interests. Manufacturing Job Quality Decline: The analysis revealed how trade deals destroyed unionized manufacturing jobs, with union membership in manufacturing dropping from 30% in 1980 to just 8% today, making current manufacturing jobs no longer particularly well-paying.

Baker’s analysis exposes the fundamental deception underlying Trump’s economic agenda, revealing how populist rhetoric masks a brutal assault on working-class Americans. The economist’s work demonstrates that the “Big Beautiful Bill” represents perhaps the most cynical example of class warfare in modern American politics, using the language of economic nationalism to advance policies that systematically transfer wealth from workers to the wealthy.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/13/2333177/-Dean-Baker-CEPR-founder-discusses-tariffs-and-the-Big-Beautiful-Bill-effect-on-the-working-class?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web

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