[Pages S3328-S3329]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                       One Big Beautiful Bill Act

  But here is the thing: The price of everything is going up under 
Donald Trump, and instead of doing anything about that, Republicans are 
racing to pass a deeply unpopular bill that would cut taxes for 
billionaires by throwing 16 million people off of health insurance. So 
Trump does what he always does: He creates a spectacle out of nowhere 
in order to distract people from what is actually happening, which is 
they are cutting Medicaid; they are slashing nutritional assistance for 
children and families; and they are jacking up everyone's premiums and 
energy bills. And the reason they are doing all of this is to take the 
money that they have saved--and by ``saved'' I mean really taking from 
you food, electricity, healthcare--and providing the biggest tax cut to 
the wealthiest individuals who have ever walked the planet.
  So, yes, we are witnessing a dangerous Rubicon being crossed in

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realtime. And anyone on any side of the political aisle who believes 
that we ought to be a nation of laws needs to call this what it is: 
creeping authoritarianism.
  But what is also true is that this is actually a distraction meant to 
deflect people's attention from a really unpopular piece of 
legislation, because here is what is going to happen if Republicans 
pass this bill: Anyone making $4 million a year or more will get a very 
nice tax break. And the more you make, the more you will get. So if you 
are a millionaire, you would get close to $70,000. But if you are a 
billionaire, you are looking at $300,000.
  If you are wondering: Well, what about me? I am not a billionaire or 
a millionaire. What do I get?
  Well, next to nothing--next to nothing. Worse than that, they are 
going to be subsidizing these enormous tax cuts with cuts to your 
benefits and services.
  And 16 million Americans, including 60,000 people in the State of 
Hawaii, will lose coverage through Medicaid because of these cuts; 
meaning, even when people get really sick, they are going to avoid 
going to the hospital and buying medication because they cannot afford 
it. And then they are going to turn to emergency care because they have 
no choice.
  Tens of millions of people will see their insurance premiums and 
copays go up by hundreds of dollars every single month.
  I promise you, no one asked for this in the last election. A lot of 
people voted for Donald Trump for various reasons, but no one wants 
their premium support to go away; no one wants their monthly healthcare 
bill to go away; no one wants electricity shortages; no one wants 
nutritional assistance to be cut, all for people making more than $4 
million a year.
  Tucked into this bill is also a whole bunch of special interest 
nonsense. For instance, it prevents judges from holding people 
accountable for violating court orders--for violating court orders. It 
defunds the ability to enforce a court order.
  Another provision gives people buying gun silencers a $200 tax break. 
Here is what I think about this: These are individual provisions that 
will offend and may not even survive the Senate process, but here is 
what it shows. It shows they are going for all the marbles. It shows 
they think this is their one chance to pass all of their special 
interest hobbyhorses. A tax credit for silencers--who is asking for 
that? Even strong Second Amendment people are not complaining about how 
expensive silencers are and they need a subsidy for that.
  Donald Trump and the Republicans are behaving as if there is no 
tomorrow, and they are going for all the marbles. The bad news for the 
rest of us who aren't millionaires or billionaires is that we are going 
to be stuck with the short end in every way imaginable in terms of our 
health, our finances, and our quality of life.
  Trump will continue to try to distract us. But make no mistake, every 
day we are not talking about this bill and how terrible it is and how 
unfair it is and how economically stupid it is, is a good day for 
Donald Trump. And every day, every moment that we are all talking about 
what a miserable piece of legislation this is, is a good day for us and 
a good day for the American people.
  We can still kill this bill. It felt like this right before we 
blocked them from repealing the Affordable Care Act. It looked like 
they had the votes. It looked like it was inevitable. They had the 
trifecta. It was about to happen, and then people rose up in every part 
of the country and said: Please don't do this to me; please don't do 
this to me. So what we need across the country is a bunch of people 
saying: Don't cut Medicare; don't cut Medicaid; don't cut food 
assistance; and, certainly, don't use all of those cuts to provide 
resources to the wealthiest people who have ever walked the planet.
  We are going to fight as hard as we can. We have only got 47 votes. 
We need four Republicans to say: Enough is enough.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Virginia.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I agree with my colleague from Hawaii.
  I ask unanimous consent to move the 12 o'clock vote up, to start it 
now.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.