Fellow Democrat,
We need to talk about the so-called “One Big Beautiful” tax bill that passed the House and is now with the Senate. Despite the name, there’s very little 'beautiful' about what this bill will do to Massachusetts.
Here’s what’s on the line:
SNAP (Food Stamps) — A Lifeline Cut
Roughly 250,000 Massachusetts residents—many of them children—stand to lose some or all of their SNAP benefits. (Mass Law Reform Institute via the Boston Globe)
Parents with children over six and grandparents under 65 would be required to work, train, or perform community service 20 hours/week to qualify beyond three months.
These requirements don’t consider
real barriers like lack of child care and transportation.
Massachusetts would have to absorb new costs, with
$710 million in additional annual burden, according to Project Bread and Boston Globe reporting.
SNAP currently contributes over
$2.6 billion annually to our state economy, supporting over 5,500 local farmers and countless retailers.
Health Care — Gutted
The Governor’s office warns of a $1.75 billion cut to our state’s health care system. (mass.gov)
That means 250,000 families, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities losing coverage.
Expect closures or major service cuts to community health centers, hospitals, and nursing homes.
Health care workers—doctors and nurses—will lose jobs.
More uninsured patients will flood ERs, driving up costs for everyone.
As Gov. Maura Healey put it: “This isn’t a scalpel to trim waste – this is a massive ax to our entire health care system.”
The Process Was as Ugly as the Bill
Passed 215-214, with only two Republicans voting ‘no’ and one voting “present.”
It’s a reconciliation bill—meaning it can’t be filibustered and got pushed through with just 20 hours of debate and a “vote-a-rama” frenzy for amendments.
Who Wins, Who Loses
According to the Congressional Budget Office (Boston Globe, 5/24):
Households in the bottom 10% will lose 2–4% of resources, mainly due to cuts in Medicaid and SNAP.
Households in the top 10% will gain 2–4%, primarily from tax breaks.
And when asked if he could guarantee that Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security wouldn’t be touched, Trump responded:
“I have said it so many times, you shouldn’t be asking me that question… We’re not going to touch it. Now, we are going to look for fraud.” (ABC News)
Let’s be clear:
This bill takes food from our poorest kids and health care from our most vulnerable neighbors—all while padding tax cuts for the wealthiest. And in the face of protests over deadly consequences, a U.S. Senator replied: “We all are going to die.” (Sen. Joni Ernst, NPR, May 31)
We cannot afford to sit this one out. The Senate must hear loud and clear from Massachusetts:
We reject this bill. We reject its cruelty. And we stand ready to fight back.
Standing with you,
The MassDems Team
