July 3, 2025
Congressional Republicans just turned a shell game into federal law — and working-class Americans are the marks. No one should be fooled by what happened today.
Republicans trumpet ‘middle-class tax cuts’ that kick in right now, neatly framed for next year’s midterms. But the fine print says those breaks vanish right after the 2028 presidential race, while the permanent giveaways — more than $1 trillion — to billionaires and big corporations never expire. At the same time, the bill rips over $1 trillion from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, will leave 17 million Americans without health insurance, and makes the deepest cuts to nutrition assistance in US history — after the elections, when the cameras are gone. It’s classic bait-and-switch politics: dangle a shiny temporary tax tweak, then snatch away health care and food once the votes are counted.
Any child can tell you that $4 trillion is not the same thing as zero, and yet that’s the math Republicans have used to justify their reckless, debt-exploding plan. When their own scorekeepers show the shocking $4 trillion cost, Republicans put their fingers in their ears and close their eyes tight, as if the cost of billionaire giveaways can be resolved with magical thinking. Americans are smarter than this. And they understand that ignoring overdue bills doesn’t make them go away.
Meanwhile, the budget supercharges a cruel immigration crackdown that targets even legally present workers and students — instilling fear and destabilizing critical sectors like agriculture and construction. It also guts clean energy investments, turning back the clock on climate progress and leaving Maine’s economy more vulnerable to rising energy costs, weather disasters, and lost jobs in the growing energy sector.
Let’s be clear: every Republican in Congress is complicit. A handful of party-sanctioned ‘no’ votes from politically vulnerable members do nothing to stop the carnage when leadership rigs the rules and rams the bill through. Congress has abdicated its duty as a co-equal branch of government and turned its back on fiscal sanity, rural communities, and the working people who keep Maine running.
Right now, that $12-a-week tax bump might feel refreshing — like the frog’s first dip into the pot. But the heat is already rising. In a few short years, when temporary breaks disappear, when Medicaid is gutted, when rural hospitals close and fields go unharvested, and when many of these so-called “fiscally responsible” Republicans call for cuts to programs like Medicare and Social Security to bring down the deficit, Mainers will discover the water is boiling and the safety net is gone.
We aren’t fooled, and Mainers shouldn’t be either. This is the largest upward transfer of wealth in our nation’s history, making it even harder for Mainers to get a fair shot at a good life. Maine lawmakers will need to employ every tool they have to soften the blow of this budget and protect our own. The policies are ready and waiting, and Maine Center for Economic Policy is committed to supporting that effort.
—Garrett Martin, MECEP President & CEO
MECEP policy analysts continue to review the details of the final budget plan and will release additional information in the coming week.
Additional resources:
I’m not on Medicaid — so why should I care about cuts to Medicaid? – MECEP
Federal budget plan puts Maine’s rural hospitals at grave risk, reports show – MECEP
New federal bill threatens immigrants and Maine’s progress – MECEP
Reporting Work Requirements: Bad at encouraging work, good at making people sick and hungry – MECEP
