The U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass President Donald Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ on Thursday.
The $4.5 trillion bill would cut taxes and social services, including Medicare and Medicaid programs, while increasing funding for border security and immigration enforcement. It now heads to the White House, where it is all but certain Trump will sign it into law.
The Congressional Budget Office, an independent research agency, estimated that the bill could add $3.3 trillion to the national debt while causing nearly 11.8 million Americans to lose healthcare coverage.
“Republicans have tried to rush this bill every step of the way to keep the public from finding out how bad it is,” said Congressman Dwight Evans, who represents the 3rd Congressional District, which includes Northwest, West and North Philadelphia, as well as parts of Center City. “We do know that like every version of this ‘Reverse Robin Hood’ bill, it will steal from the working class to give the richest another tax cut.”
The Center for American Progress estimates that the bill would strip Medicaid coverage from over 50,000 Philadelphians and roughly 259,000 residents across Pennsylvania. According to CAP, these coverage losses could lead to more than 150 deaths each year in Philadelphia and 819 deaths statewide.
“These are the services that keep families healthy, from prenatal care to addiction treatment. The bill’s devastating Medicaid cuts threaten to rip coverage away and push our already overstretched hospitals and clinics past the breaking point,” Councilmember At-Large Nina Ahmad said in a statement.
In addition, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act calls for deep cuts to the country’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program program. These reductions would put all SNAP participants at risk of losing their benefits, including children, seniors, and people with disabilities.
In Philadelphia, roughly half a million residents depend on SNAP benefits, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data from the Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates program.
“One in three children lives in a food-insecure household,” Ahmad said. “Yet this bill slashes food assistance and nutrition education, leaving our most vulnerable—especially children and seniors—at risk of hunger.”
“Let’s be clear: the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is anything but beautiful,” finishes Ahmad. “It’s a direct assault on the health, dignity, and future of Philadelphia’s working families.”
Editor Melissa Mitman contributed to this article.
