After weeks of debate, Congress has passed the reconciliation bill (once known as the One Beautiful Bill Act, or OBBBA) by a 218-214 vote in the House of Representatives. The bill now heads to the president’s desk for signature, and features inequitable provisions that are deeply harmful to marginalized and rural Georgians, including:
- Providing tax cuts that benefit wealthy corporations and individuals, increasing the national deficit to around $3.1T
- Cutting programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid by shifting costs to the state, imposing ineffective work requirements and limiting how states support crucial rural hospitals
- Providing a federal private school voucher that funnels public dollars into private entities, at a cost to the government that would likely run into the tens of billions and further increase the national deficit
- Incarcerating immigrants and depriving them of access to medical care and nutrition, negatively affecting Georgia SNAP participants admitted as a refugee or granted other humanitarian protections
“The reconciliation bill rewinds decades of efforts to reduce poverty for rural Georgians and has the potential to harm local economies throughout the state. It cuts federal support to parts of Georgia that matter: from families feeding their children and themselves, sick loved ones needing treatment and care, to farmers, family-owned grocery stores and even main street small businesses,” said GBPI President and CEO Staci Fox. “Federal decisionmakers have an ongoing opportunity and obligation to do what is best for all Americans, not just the wealthy. We are deeply concerned about the impact that the reconciliation bill will have on Georgians. As the budget appropriations process continues, we ask that our federal government make decisions that prioritize the people they serve and not the few who already have the most.”
The federal budget “reconciliation” process is separate from the appropriations process, which will continue into the fall and offers further opportunities to press for equity for Georgians. GBPI will continue to work with partners and allies to advocate for equitable allocation of federal dollars. Stay tuned for a full analysis of the reconciliation bill next week.
