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July 3, 2025 by Florida NOW

FL NOW DENOUNCES REPUBLICAN SENATORS AND VICE PRESIDENT FOR PASSING THE BIG UGLY BUDGET RECONCILIATION BILL.

For Immediate Release July 3, 2025

Julie Kent, President FL National Organization for Women (FLNOW)

The Senate’s Bill Is Worse Than The House’s Version!

“Under the cover of night, Senate Republicans with the tie breaking vote of JD Vance, passed a budget reconciliation bill that is the biggest redistribution of wealth in American history with unheard of cuts to so many important activities supporting the America people. The American people strongly disagree with the bill and its cuts. The cruelty of what Republicans in the House and Senate are doing is incalculable and without conscience.” Julie Kent said.  The plan to accelerate the transfer of money from the poor to the wealthiest is shocking.

Some of the worst changes in the bill passed by the Senate are:

  • Gutting Medicaid, cutting Medicare, and reducing Affordable Care Act services by cutting $1.1 trillion meaning 12-17 million people will lose their healthcare, rural hospitals will close, and many nursing homes will close. JD Vance said this is minutiae and immaterial. People will die from lack of available care providers.  Others must live with disabilities and reduced capabilities due to the struggle to get healthcare services. The lifespan gap between poor and middle-income areas versus wealthier areas will get significantly worse from the 5-to 10-year difference in lifespans today.
  • Reduces funding for public health infrastructure and pandemic preparedness.  Overall reduction in public health may be a reason that increasing income inequality results in decreasing longevity for both the wealthy and the poor.
  • $300 billion funding cut and stringent new work requirements for SNAP (food assistance program) that helps over 42 million people nationwide, including children. This will likely result in over 3 million people losing food assistance. Families, including children, will go hungry. The administration has already cut food pantry type programs, so they can’t support the existing need, never mind the new needs from this cut.
  • Cuts the specialized LGBTQ+ youth crisis line, a critical component of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline program.
  • Slashes funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Burean by nearly 70% and a complete dissolution of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, the government’s top watchdog of public company audits
  • Widespread roll back of climate focused programs and clean energy tax incentives that create jobs.

Coupled with these atrocious cuts are other unconscionable elements:

  • Limiting federal judges’ authority to hold government officials in contempt of court.  A move clearly designed to defend Trump administration from accountability for defying the courts.
  • Makes permanent $4.5 trillion mostly tax breaks for the wealthiest of Americans which is indecent. Bezos wedding in Venice demonstrates the irresponsibility of the wealthy just like in the days of monarchies.
  • Adding $150 billion for the Pentagon…part of this is Elon Musk’s SpaceX Golden Dome proposal…a new initiative to waste resources. We will spend $1.1 trillion versus China’s $330 billion. Our defense spending is exorbitant and not sustainable.
  • Pulling language from the REINS Act, giving Congress new control over federal rule making and making it easier for Republicans to roll back any regulation they don’t like, even those that have been finalized and implemented, including the Clean Air Act.

“The Congressional Budget Office estimates this bill will add $3.3 trillion to the deficit over 10 years. This is the third or fourth highest addition to the national deficit. The others were because of the great recession recovery and the other was COVID 19 relief not tax cuts for the wealthy although Bush’s tax cuts and his two wars cost us $5 trillion. Trumps first term tax cuts cost us $3.2 trillion.” Debbie Deland Vice President FL NOW said. “It comes with long-term consequences: higher interest payments, reduced fiscal flexibility, and political battles over cuts to safety nets Americans rely on. I don’t know how else to condemn this bill but to say it is a travesty.”

Call to Action

Call Your Representative

  • Dial the S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to your House member. To find your representative go to Find Your Representative | house.gov.

Sample Script: > “Hi, my name is [Your Name], and I’m a constituent from [City, State]. I’m calling to urge Representative [Last Name] to vote NO on the Budget Reconciliation Bill. This bill will hurt working families, strip healthcare from millions, and deepen inequality. Please stand with your constituents—not billionaires.”

  • 5 Calls Action Center has targeted scripts and updates. Go to 5calls.org.

 Spread the Word

  • Use hashtags like #StopTheBigUglyBill, #ProtectMedicaid, and #JusticeNotTaxCuts
  • Share infographics and personal stories on social media
  • Host or attend a virtual town hall or protest—before the House vote

Organize Locally

  • Partner with groups like Indivisible, FL NOW, or local unions to coordinate outreach
  • Write letters to the editor or op-eds in your local paper
  • Mobilize faith leaders, healthcare workers, and educators to speak out

Contact: Debbie Deland, Vice President of FL NOW, 408 234-6408, vp@flnow.org

Florida NOW: is an intersectional grassroots organization that promotes feminist ideals, leads societal change, eliminates discrimination, and protects the equal rights of all women and girls in all aspects of social, political, and economic life. We envision a Florida where all people experience true equality, equity, safety, and no community is marginalized.

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Florida NOW’s purpose is to take action through intersectional grassroots activism to promote feminist ideals, lead societal change, eliminate discrimination, and achieve and protect the equal rights of all women and girls.

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