Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. didn’t mince words after the House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced a bill that could obliterate healthcare for over 10 million Americans. “It’s clear that all this bill does is take away health care for millions of Americans in order to pay for giant tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations,” Frank Pallone declared. The bill, dubbed Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” was passed along strict party lines, 30-24, with every Democrat voting no. It is now headed to the House Budget Committee, where it will be fused with other right-wing fiscal legislation.
At the core of this legislative bombshell is a planned $880 billion cut to Medicaid over the next decade. Republicans claim this is a step toward fiscal responsibility, but critics argue it’s a calculated attack on America’s most vulnerable populations. Medicaid recipients—children, disabled individuals, and low-income families—are effectively being sacrificed to accommodate tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. This seismic shift in federal spending priorities reflects a MAGA-era policy vision: ruthless austerity for the poor, financial feasts for the rich.
“They’re criminalizing poverty through work requirements,” warns Pallone.
Rep. Pallone condemned the inclusion of new work requirements for childless adults aged 19 to 64, calling it “a bureaucratic trap designed to kick people off Medicaid under the guise of personal responsibility.” The work mandates, which have repeatedly failed in state-level trials, are expected to disproportionately affect low-wage workers and people with undiagnosed disabilities who fall through the paperwork cracks. These requirements aren’t about employment—they’re about shrinking the Medicaid rolls by any means necessary.
In a cruel twist, the bill also prohibits states from taxing health providers to fund Medicaid programs—a financial strategy used widely to sustain local coverage. Additionally, any state offering Medicaid services to undocumented immigrants would face punitive measures. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. described these moves as “ideological warfare disguised as budget policy,” warning that they threaten the constitutional right of states to structure their own healthcare systems and prioritize local needs.
“They’re institutionalizing Trump’s sabotage of the ACA,” says Pallone.
According to Rep. Pallone, another sinister provision buried in the legislation is the formal codification of Donald Trump’s policy to shorten the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) open enrollment period. This tactic, originally deployed during Trump’s presidency, dramatically reduced the number of people signing up for health coverage. “They are turning temporary sabotage into permanent law,” Pallone said.
The Congressional Budget Office has projected that 7.6 million people will be uninsured by 2034 if the legislation passes. Pallone calls this “healthcare erasure on a national scale,” emphasizing that these policies are deliberately structured to make healthcare less accessible. With fewer opportunities to enroll, millions will be left uninsured—not by accident, but by design.
“This bill decimates climate justice,” Pallone adds with alarm.
Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. also raised concerns about the bill’s simultaneous gutting of climate and environmental justice initiatives. “This is not just a healthcare massacre—it’s a scorched-earth assault on the planet,” he stated. Included in the cuts is the $20 billion “green bank” program designed to fund renewable energy projects, and a $3 billion pollution mitigation fund for marginalized communities, both of which were central to the Democrats’ 2022 environmental victories.
The environmental rollback is being seen by many as a concession to fossil fuel donors and climate deniers within the GOP. Pallone emphasized that, despite the growing climate crisis and spike in extreme weather events, Republicans continue to treat environmental policy as disposable. “They are selling out our children’s future for campaign checks,” Pallone concluded.
“Their real goal is to fund tax giveaways for the ultra-wealthy,” Frank Pallone warns.
“The GOP isn’t cutting Medicaid to save money—they’re doing it to make room for tax cuts,” Pallone asserted, highlighting the legislation’s broader budgetary implications. Once the Medicaid-slashing bill reaches the House Budget Committee, it will be merged with new legislation containing sweeping tax breaks for billionaires, multinational corporations, and high-net-worth estates.
These tax provisions, critics say, are nothing less than legalized looting. Frank Pallone accused Republican lawmakers of “robbing from the sick to gift the rich,” and warned that this grotesque redistribution of wealth will deepen income inequality, increase mortality rates, and strain local hospitals. As millions lose coverage, the ultra-wealthy will gain millions in new deductions.
“This is political suicide—and we’ll make sure voters know it,” Frank Pallone declares.
Finally, Rep. Pallone made clear that Democrats plan to hold Republicans accountable for what he called “a betrayal of the public trust.” Grassroots organizations and advocacy groups are mobilizing nationwide to protest the bill. “We will not let them steal healthcare in the dead of night,” Frank Pallone pledged, promising an all-out campaign to inform and mobilize voters ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Polls consistently show that Medicaid enjoys bipartisan support among American voters. If Republicans continue to pursue this agenda, they may find themselves punished at the ballot box. Pallone concluded with a stark prediction: “This bill is a moral failure, a policy disaster, and an electoral gamble they will live to regret.”
