Dear Editor: All Alaskans should be looking at the details of the GOP “Big Beautiful Bill” with alarm. It would be more correct to call it the ‘‘Billionaire Bailout’’ bill. This bill is terrible for Alaska and the country. It passed the House by one vote, so our representative, Representative Begich, is responsible for what follows.
This bill adds $3.2 TRILLION to the national debt while gutting social services and giving huge tax breaks to the billionaire class and 1%ers.
If you make under $17,000 per year you will see an increase in taxes on average of $580, and nearly a $700 loss in income if you factor in decreased benefits.
If you make between $17,000 and $30,000 per year you will see an increase in taxes on average of $940, and a $1,000 loss in income if you factor in decreased benefits.
On the other hand, the richest 0.1% will gain on average $390,310 in tax breaks.
Ask yourself who Representative Begich was working for when he voted for the bill. No Alaskan I know is in the top 0.1% of earners. By the way, Begich is in the 1% club. He is worth $16.9 million and in 2022 earned $1.2 million. He filed an extension on his required congressional financial disclosures so Alaskans cannot know what he earned this year or what stocks he traded. The following are just some of the aspects of this bill that are harmful to Alaskans.
A $880 billion cut from Medicaid – a program that 8.6 million Americans depend on, including 40% of Alaskans. This impacts all age groups and will impact the Pioneer Homes in our State. Did you know that Alaska will see a 40% increase in age 85+ over the next 5 years?
A $500 billion cut from Medicare because of budget law triggered with the increasing debt. Over 117,000 Alaskans depend on Medicare and 10% of these people also rely on Medicaid.
A $300 billion cut from SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), which provides food assistance to over 2 million children. 71,800 Alaskans, of which 20,000 are children depend on SNAP. This plan walks away from the 50-year, bipartisan commitment to ensure that low-income children, adults, and seniors get the help they need, regardless of where they live. In an exceptionally cruel move the House GOP proposed changing the SNAP work provision requirement age of dependency from 18 to 7. What are we even doing as a nation?
The bill has a provision that would cut funding from the bipartisan Inflation Reduction Act (supported by both our senators) that provides for a diversified clean energy economy that has provided jobs and business investments in our state, including the popular heat pump program in Sitka.
The bill cuts funding to Planned Parenthood, clinics that provide important health care to men and women. Nearly 1 in 3 women and 1 in 10 men have used planned parenthood for health care. In Alaska 74% of Title X recipients rely on Planned Parenthood. This is an assault on women and although Planned Parenthood provides much more than abortion services this defunding is an end run around our right to abortion in Alaska. I guess Stateʼs Rights only matter to Republicans when they like the right. This bill cuts gender-affirming care to our trans neighbors of all ages, not just children. This is a death sentence for them. Trans people make up less than 1% of our population. This is not a cost-saving measure – it is cruelty.
A truly frightening provision in section 70302 would prevent federal Judges from holding government officials in contempt when they are in violation of court orders. This effectively destroys the third branch of government. No checks and balances for this President – Trump wants to be king and with this provision he will be. Kiss due process goodbye. This clearly is unconstitutional, yet our Representative supported it with his yes vote on the bill.
It is worth noting that while the bill has devastating cuts to the average Alaskan it also costs U.S. taxpayers $1.4 billion in lost revenue by removing the sales tax on gun silencers, a tax in place for 91 years. There is also an increase in Defense and ICE spending – an area the DOGE avoided looking for fraud, waste, and abuse that is rife with it. Trump now want to throw a big military parade on June 14, his birthday, that is estimated to cost $90 million dollars.
This bill is in the Senate now and will soon be under debate. We have a chance to change the most harmful provision of the bill and work towards one that supports our communities, our childrenʼs future, and supports, not undermines, our Constitution. Please call Senator Sullivan (202-224-3004) and Senator Murkowski (202-224-6665) and tell them you do not support this bill and ask them to make specific changes. Call often. They need to hear from us.
Tory OʼConnell Curran, Sitka
