Yesterday, mere hours after the “big, beautiful bill” was passed, I received an email from the Social Security Administration expressing pride that the bill passed. It was a propaganda letter, telling me what I may get out of the bill and neglecting to tell me what that benefit was costing others.

This bill prioritizes the hunting, caging and deportation of people at the expense of those who will be losing access to health care and food assistance. It prioritizes tax breaks to the 1% of us with the most resources and minimal to no tax breaks for those of us who most need them. It prioritizes the false narrative that the climate isn’t changing by doing away with clean energy initiatives, jeopardizing the health of our environment and individual citizens as well as jobs connected with these initiatives. It prioritizes the build-up of our military at the expense of our educational systems, leading to a less educated citizenry. It prioritizes everything but the well-being of our citizens.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski epitomizes this “what’s in it for me” philosophy: as long as the bill meets what I want, I’ll vote for it. She acknowledged that the bill was bad but voted for it because she obtained a health care concession that benefited Alaska. She hoped the House would modify the bill to make it better. That didn’t work out because the “what works best for me keeps me in power” is pervasive in this Republican administration, with little thought given to the needs of others.

Shame on us.

Lisa Wallace
Bremen