Republicans Grapple with the Big, Controversial Bill

_WHAT’S HAPPENING_

President Donald Trump signed the Big, Beautiful Bill (BBB) on Friday, implementing major policy changes that include both substantial spending increases and substantial cuts.

But these policy changes may bring risks, as the bill is unpopular with the American people. Democrats will be certain to club the GOP over certain provisions in next year’s midterm elections.

_THE FACTS_

• The BBB included spending increases for ICE, tax credits, tax cuts, and more.

• It also added work requirements for Medicaid — which the Congressional Budget Office estimates could remove coverage from over 11 million people by 2034.

• The total reductions in Medicaid spending, slowly being made over the next ten years, will reach over $1 trillion.

• The bill bans states from increasing the provider tax, often used to pay for hospitals.

• It cuts the federal matching rate (the amount the federal government “matches” state spending) for any state that includes illegal migrants in Medicaid spending.

• Many of the reductions are reversals of Obama and Biden-era increases; both presidents dramatically increased the program without fully paying for it.

• Roughly half of New York City’s residents are now on Medicaid. In California, fully 40 percent of people now rely on the program.

• In 2018, just one-third of Californians were on Medicaid — yet the feds found California had wrongly added up to 630,000 people who didn’t qualify.

• One poll found that the “no tax on tips” provision was extremely popular, with 73 percent backing it.

• A Fox News poll showed Republican support for the bill was at 67 percent, while only two percent of Democrats approved it.

• Another recent poll found the bill as a whole was mostly underwater, with 55 percent of voters disapproving. But when asked about the Medicaid changes specifically, voters were evenly divided.

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