Trump’s 'Beautiful Bill' Threatens Aid for Thousands in South Florida
Miami New Times
By Alexander Luzula
This article originally appeared in the Miami New Times.
Declaration of Independence, John Trumbull (1819)
Public domain image via Wikimedia Commons
The bill aims to slash millions in aid funding, potentially impacting thousands who rely on government support programs.
A sweeping federal spending bill that could slash billions from programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicare, and Medicaid — programs that thousands of South Florida residents rely on — is now moving through the Senate.
President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB), introduced as H.R. 1 by Texas Rep. Jodey Arrington, passed the House of Representatives on May 22 after weeks of heated debate. It has drawn both praise and criticism for its proposed cuts and restructuring of federal aid.
"The Trump Administration needs this funding to deport illegal aliens, millions of whom entered the country over the last four years," a White House description of the bill reads.
Laura Kelley, chair of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party, calls the bill a "tax break for the wealthy" and warns it would worsen South Florida's housing, insurance, and cost-of-living crises, hurting those who rely on aid and the broader community.
According to Rachel Prestipino, vice president of policy and community engagement at Catalyst Miami, a nonprofit that supports economically vulnerable residents, the bill could cut billions of dollars in aid to low-income families in South Florida who depend on the programs to survive.
"I think it's important for people to understand that these are the largest cuts that have ever been proposed in the history of Medicaid and SNAP," Prestipino says.
Among other reductions, the OBBB would cut more than $700 billion from Medicaid and $300 billion from SNAP, which provides food benefits to low-income families, in the next 10 years, including $1.6 billion in SNAP cuts for Florida residents, according to the nonprofit Florida Policy Institute.
Those cuts could harm some of the Sunshine State's most vulnerable demographics, Prestipino says, including children, the elderly, and individuals experiencing homelessness (of the 2.9 million Floridians on SNAP, 41 percent are children, while 25 percent are seniors).
If the bill becomes law, 423,000 Floridians could lose some or all of their SNAP benefits by 2028, Prestipino says.
According to Prestipino, Florida has more than 120,000 low-income seniors enrolled in the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary Program, which helps cover Medicare-related costs, making it the state with the highest enrollment in the nation. Florida is one of 16 states where the uninsured rates would increase by 3 percent or more,
The Congressional Budget Office estimates the cuts would leave 1.8 million more Floridians without health insurance —one of the most significant increases in the nation — straining the safety net and worsening care for those in need, Prestipino says.
Florida is projected to see one of the largest increases in uninsured residents under the OBBB, with an estimated 990,000 people losing coverage. The state is also among 16, plus the District of Columbia, expected to experience a rise in uninsured rates of at least three percentage points.
Prestipino warns that the cuts could overwhelm hospitals, raise costs, lower care quality, and deepen Florida's deficit, while federal energy aid reductions could devastate Miami families during the hot and humid summer months.
"Having AC is not a luxury; it is a necessity. People literally die from heatstroke, especially seniors and people with medical conditions," she says.
As the bill moves through the Senate, Kelley urges South Florida residents to contact their representatives to make their concerns heard and to organize and participate in protests, such as the 'No Kings' demonstrations last weekend.
By Alexander Luzula
This article originally appeared in the Miami New Times.
Declaration of Independence, John Trumbull (1819)
Public domain image via Wikimedia Commons
The bill aims to slash millions in aid funding, potentially impacting thousands who rely on government support programs.
A sweeping federal spending bill that could slash billions from programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicare, and Medicaid — programs that thousands of South Florida residents rely on — is now moving through the Senate.
President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB), introduced as H.R. 1 by Texas Rep. Jodey Arrington, passed the House of Representatives on May 22 after weeks of heated debate. It has drawn both praise and criticism for its proposed cuts and restructuring of federal aid.
"The Trump Administration needs this funding to deport illegal aliens, millions of whom entered the country over the last four years," a White House description of the bill reads.
Laura Kelley, chair of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party, calls the bill a "tax break for the wealthy" and warns it would worsen South Florida's housing, insurance, and cost-of-living crises, hurting those who rely on aid and the broader community.
According to Rachel Prestipino, vice president of policy and community engagement at Catalyst Miami, a nonprofit that supports economically vulnerable residents, the bill could cut billions of dollars in aid to low-income families in South Florida who depend on the programs to survive.
"I think it's important for people to understand that these are the largest cuts that have ever been proposed in the history of Medicaid and SNAP," Prestipino says.
Among other reductions, the OBBB would cut more than $700 billion from Medicaid and $300 billion from SNAP, which provides food benefits to low-income families, in the next 10 years, including $1.6 billion in SNAP cuts for Florida residents, according to the nonprofit Florida Policy Institute.
Those cuts could harm some of the Sunshine State's most vulnerable demographics, Prestipino says, including children, the elderly, and individuals experiencing homelessness (of the 2.9 million Floridians on SNAP, 41 percent are children, while 25 percent are seniors).
If the bill becomes law, 423,000 Floridians could lose some or all of their SNAP benefits by 2028, Prestipino says.
According to Prestipino, Florida has more than 120,000 low-income seniors enrolled in the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary Program, which helps cover Medicare-related costs, making it the state with the highest enrollment in the nation. Florida is one of 16 states where the uninsured rates would increase by 3 percent or more,
The Congressional Budget Office estimates the cuts would leave 1.8 million more Floridians without health insurance —one of the most significant increases in the nation — straining the safety net and worsening care for those in need, Prestipino says.
Florida is projected to see one of the largest increases in uninsured residents under the OBBB, with an estimated 990,000 people losing coverage. The state is also among 16, plus the District of Columbia, expected to experience a rise in uninsured rates of at least three percentage points.
Prestipino warns that the cuts could overwhelm hospitals, raise costs, lower care quality, and deepen Florida's deficit, while federal energy aid reductions could devastate Miami families during the hot and humid summer months.
"Having AC is not a luxury; it is a necessity. People literally die from heatstroke, especially seniors and people with medical conditions," she says.
As the bill moves through the Senate, Kelley urges South Florida residents to contact their representatives to make their concerns heard and to organize and participate in protests, such as the 'No Kings' demonstrations last weekend.
