Springfield, MA| By Dan Reidy, Spectrum News
When it comes to President Trump’s ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’, Congressman Richard Neal said he’d fairly describe it as ‘big’, but he’s less enthusiastic about describing it as beautiful.
In addition to extending trillions of dollars in tax cuts, the bill boosts funding for immigration enforcement and national defense, while cutting millions in Medicaid and food assistance.
Neal said his impression of the newly signed legislation is it takes health care away from up to 17 million people to provide tax cuts for people at the very top. The Massachusetts congressman said it’s also not just his impression, but fact from the Joint Committee on Taxation and the Congressional Budget Office.
“This is clearly tilted to people at the top, and it’s paid for in some measure by borrowing up to $5 trillion by raising the debt ceiling, adding at least $3 trillion to the national debt, and cutting health insurance,” Neal said. “As I noted, for up to 17 million people and nutrition programs. This is not my opinion. These are the facts as surmised and offered by people who we have great regard for. There are many times when I don’t like what comes from the Joint Committee on Taxation or what I don’t like what comes from the Congressional Budget Office, but I have regard for them.”
According to the White House website, “The One Big Beautiful Bill delivers the largest middle- and working-class tax cut in U.S. history.”
The White House also states the bill ‘removes illegal aliens, enforces work requirements, and protects Medicaid for the truly vulnerable’. Neal said about 90% of the people who receive Medicaid are working, and Medicaid is their health care system.
“The expansion of Medicaid has been good for our hospitals,” Neal said. “It’s been good for our medical support staffs and most importantly, getting people into a reliable health care system earlier in life avoids the catastrophic costs that come along down the road when people get sicker.”
The congressman said the tax cuts in the bill, which is now law, will go into effect right away, but hospitals like Bay State Medical Center which is about 67% dependent on Medicare and Medicaid won’t see the effect of the cuts until after the congressional elections next year.
