The Big Bad Bill
The US Senate today passed the BBB, with both of Iowa’s senators voting (unsurprisingly) “yes” despite the majority of Iowans opposing the bill. The bill now goes back to the House.
The American Hospital Association published this analysis of how Iowa Medicaid funding would be affected: 37.7 thousand Iowans would lose Medicaid coverage and hospitals would lose $2,666 million dollars. That is more money than California will lose! Rural hospitals would be disproportionately affected and many likely forced to close.
Aspects of the bill include (with a few egarious parts removed):
Deep cuts to Medicaid, including harsh new work requirements
New Medicare eligibility rules and increased costs for dual Medicaid-Medicare enrollees
Tripling the budget for ICE and Trump’s mass deportation effort
Authorization for the sale of public lands and increased incentives for fossil fuel production removed from bill
Widespread rollback of clean energy tax incentives and climate protections
Unprecedented funding cuts and expansion of work requirements for SNAP
Limits on a court’s ability to issue temporary restraining orders or preliminary injunctions removed from bill
Funding cuts to clinical care services at Planned Parenthood
Funding cuts for gender-affirming care for Medicaid and CHIP recipients removed from bill
Requiring states block all AI regulation for 10 years in order to receive federal broadband funding removed from bill
A $150 billion increase to an already bloated Pentagon budget
A national private school voucher program that diverts funding from public schools and sets up a new tax shelter for the wealthy removed from bill
An increased excise tax on college endowments
Widespread changes to student loan access, protections, and repayment options
Harmful changes to federal worker pay, benefits, unions, and protections against unjust treatment removed from bill
Slashes to funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) by nearly 70%
Elimination of a tax on gun silencer sales
Raising the debt limit by $5 trillion purely to fund tax cuts for the wealthy, adding trillions to the national debt.
