John,
The so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act is big, all right -- it’s over 1,000 pages -- but it’s anything but beautiful. It’s a sweeping, draconian budget that sells out working families, immigrants, and vulnerable communities to fund an authoritarian wishlist.
What’s in this bill? Billions more for weapons manufacturers, expanded surveillance, and brutal enforcement operations -- and brutal cuts to the services everyday people depend on. Congressional Republicans are pushing a budget that would:
Flood the Pentagon with unchecked funds -- despite failing audits and rampant waste
Funnel taxpayer dollars into private prisons and militarized border enforcement
Expand ICE’s budget for detention and mass deportations
Increase domestic surveillance targeting progressive groups and activists
Bankroll a national crackdown on peaceful protests under the guise of "law and order”
And to pay for this authoritarian spending spree? They’re gutting programs that keep people healthy, housed, and alive:
Deep cuts to Medicaid, threatening health care access for millions
Rollbacks to SNAP (food stamps), pushing families further into food insecurity
Slashing child care subsidies, public education, and housing assistance
Cutting climate resilience programs, even as disasters multiply
Defunding community health centers, mental health care, and maternal health initiatives
Send a direct message to your Senators urging them to reject this backwards budget and prioritize social services that support our communities over ICE and Pentagon profiteers.
This gargantuan bill is designed to fund a dystopian vision that prioritizes billionaires’ wallets, corporate profits, and the militarization of society over such human values as mental and physical health, freedom to learn, disaster relief, and a place to live with food to eat.
The House has already passed this package -- but the process of whipping up support within such a razor-thin majority exposed serious fractures in the GOP coalition.
Some Republicans demanded more onerous work requirements and even deeper cuts in Medicaid. Some from high-tax states wanted to increase deductions for state and local taxes. Some were not happy with the projected increases in the deficit, and some wanted more green energy tax credits to keep these jobs in their own states.
These tensions in the GOP coalition give us a real shot at stopping the so-called Big Beautiful Bill in the Senate. But we must act now.
Tell the Senate to say No to handouts for ICE, weapons contractors, and Big Oil, and Yes to the health care, housing, and climate protection our communities need.
Thank you for demanding a budget that serves people, not profiteers.
- DFA AF Team
