Trump and Republicans’ so-called ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ will kick millions off Medicaid and SNAP, explode deficits

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, today proposed changes to President Trump and Senate Republicans’ disastrous One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which will pay for tax cuts for billionaires by kicking millions of Americans off Medicaid and closing rural hospitals, cutting food assistance programs, and tanking the economy.

Senator Welch’s changes to the Republican tax bill would protect Vermonters’ access to health care, food assistance, and other critical programs. The Senator’s proposed changes include provisions to prevent harm to rural hospitals, strengthen access to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, block cuts and policies that weaken the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other food assistance programs, protect home energy efficiency tax credits and the home efficiency workforce, and support federal public defenders.  

“Republicans’ so-called ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ is a betrayal of American values and an abdication of our responsibility as United States Senators to look out for our constituents. All of us say we are here to help working families in every state succeed, but this bill will only cause bipartisan pain—all to pay for a tax break for those who need it least,” said Senator Welch. “This bill is un-fixable and needs a major rewrite. But I’ll continue to do everything I can to protect the health care, food assistance, and federal programs Vermonters need.” 

Senator Welch offered amendments and changes to the Republican budget resolution to:   

Protect Access to Health Care and Support Rural Hospitals: 

• Welch proposed requiring the Finance Committee to rewrite the bill to prevent harm to rural health care and the fiscal wellbeing of rural hospitals; 
• Welch proposed requiring the Finance Committee to exempt managed care programs operated by state governments like Vermont from any changes proposed to state directed payments. 
• Welch proposed requiring the Finance Committee to strike any changes to provider taxes, including changes that would impact states like Vermont with Medicaid expansion; 
• Welch proposed requiring the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee to make it easier to verify eligibility for the Affordable Care Act’s premium tax credits, and expand special enrollment periods under certain circumstances.

Defend Food Assistance Programs: 

• Welch proposed requiring the Agriculture Committee to strike any cost-shifts of administering  SNAP to states, which would kick American families off the food assistance they need and strain state budgets; 
• Welch proposed an amendment to strike administrative cost-shifts for SNAP; 
• Welch proposed an amendment to adjust the Thrifty Food Plan for cities, counties, and regions where the price of food is 10% higher than the national average; 
• Welch proposed an amendment that places a floor on SNAP allotments to households instead of a ceiling; 
• Welch proposed requiring the Agriculture Committee to rewrite the bill to allow volunteer work to qualify under SNAP’s work requirements.  

Protect Programs and Government Services: 

• Welch proposed requiring the Finance Committee to rewrite the bill to maintain the energy efficient home improvement tax credit at current levels through 2028; 
• Welch proposed an amendment to strike the repeal of several home energy efficiency tax credits, including credits for home energy, rooftop solar, energy efficient homes for homebuilders, and more; 
• Welch proposed striking language in the bill that would rescind funding for state-based contractor training grants, as required in Welch’s HOPE for HOMES Act, passed as part of the Inflation Reduction Act; 
• Welch proposed striking language in the bill that would institute taxes on international remittances. 
• Welch proposed an amendment to dedicate funding for residential reentry centers, which are needed in Vermont; 
• Welch proposed an amendment to dedicate funding for the federal public defenders program, which is currently underfunded. 

Senator Welch has been an outspoken opponent of the Republicans’ tax bill, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Republicans are advancing through reconciliation process without Democratic support. Welch has slammed the bill for threatening access to health care and cutting food assistance, and has sounded the alarm about how this bill will add more than $4 trillion to the national debt and tank the economy.  

Learn more about Senator Welch’s work by visiting his website or by following him on social media. 

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