READ ON LAREDO MORNING TIMES
By Congressman Henry Cuellar
July 12, 2025

But the bill that just passed the House? It does the opposite. In Washington, they call it a budget. But to the people I represent, it’s a gut punch. This isn’t fiscal responsibility – it’s fiscal sabotage.

A windfall for the wealthy, a burden for the rest

This bill sets all the wrong records:

• It’s the biggest transfer of wealth from working Americans to the wealthy in U.S. history.

• It includes a $5 trillion debt ceiling increase, driven largely by permanent tax cuts for the top.

• It slashes over $1 trillion from Medicaid and triggers an estimated $500 billion in cuts to Medicare under sequestration over the next decade.

And that’s just the beginning.

It delivers $1.1 trillion in tax breaks to households earning over $500,000. The top 10% get 80% of the benefits, while the lowest 10% of earners foot the bill. Meanwhile, the modest breaks for working families – like no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, interest deductions on car loans, and senior tax relief – all expire by 2028. The tax cuts for billionaires? They stay permanent.

That’s not sound economics. That’s a rigged deal.

Even Republicans – and Elon Musk – oppose it

This bill is so extreme, even prominent conservatives rejected it:

• Sen. Thom Tillis said it would be “betraying a promise” on health care.

• A Republican congressman from Texas voted yes, but still called it “fiscally criminal.”

• And even Elon Musk, who doesn’t usually side with Democrats, said it plainly: those who voted for the bill should “hang their head in shame.”

They’re right. This isn’t about partisanship. It’s about priorities. We should never put party before country – or politics before people. We are Americans first.

And the public agrees: 59% of voters oppose the bill, according to a Fox News poll.

Real cuts. Real people.

Some claim this is about cutting waste or ending benefits for undocumented immigrants and individuals who are not willing to work.

Let’s be honest: federal law already prohibits undocumented immigrants from receiving Medicaid and SNAP, and 92% of Medicare recipients are already working full or part-time. This bill makes real cuts that affect real people:

• 17 million Americans could lose their health insurance – including 55,000 in my district.

• Over 300 rural hospitals and nearly 600 nursing homes could close or downsize nationwide.

• 3.4 million Texans, including 54,000 households in TX-28, depend on SNAP, which would be cut by almost 30%.

• Over 17% of Texas households already face food insecurity – this bill makes that worse.

This bill doesn’t trim fat – it cuts deep into the bone.

Silencers over school meals?

Let me be clear: I support the Second Amendment. I always have.

But this bill eliminates federal taxes on silencers and short-barreled rifles – the very accessories law enforcement says put communities and officers at greater risk.

And it doesn’t stop there. The bill includes tax breaks for venture capitalists, Alaskan fisheries, rum producers, and spaceports – billions in carve-outs.

So I ask: Do you qualify for those tax breaks?

Meanwhile, children are losing school meals, and rural hospitals are closing their doors.

What kind of message does that send?

Read the bill

The final version of this bill was nearly 1,000 pages long. The final committee hearing? Held in the dead of night. Amendments? Still being written just hours before the vote.

And for the second time in one month, they tried to pass it in the middle of the night, while the American public was asleep.

So I ask: Did my colleagues even read the bill? Before voting to cut care for seniors, cancel school meals, and explode the deficit – did they even read it?

The Texas values I stand for

South Texans don’t ask for special favors. They ask for a fair shot:

• Affordable health care

• Food on the table

• Safe schools

• A job that supports their families

I’ve worked across the aisle my entire career. I believe in compromise. I believe in results.

But I also believe in drawing a line when legislation crosses the line.

This bill punishes the poor to reward the powerful. It reflects politics, not people. And it doesn’t reflect the values we share in Texas.

The fight ahead

I’ll keep fighting for working families, seniors, veterans, and children. I’ll keep calling out the backroom deals and midnight votes.

And I won’t stop until we pass a budget that puts people first – not politics.

Let’s build something better. Together.