By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (D-WA) joined fellow Democrats in voicing strong opposition to President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” a sweeping budget and tax package recently passed in the House with Republican support. The legislation, which now moves to the Senate, includes major revisions to Medicaid, food assistance, tax policy, and environmental regulations.
In the days leading up to the vote, House Republicans revised the bill to appeal to centrist members of their party. Key adjustments included increasing the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap and accelerating the implementation of work requirements for social safety net programs.
The bill proposes permanent extensions of tax cuts for individuals and estates first enacted under Trump in 2017. It would also repeal several clean energy tax credits established during the Biden administration and exclude tips and overtime pay from taxable income.
According to the proposed legislation, the standard deduction would increase by $1,000 for individual filers, raising it to $16,000, and by $2,000 for joint filers, raising it to $32,000. These increases are temporary and would return to previous levels after 2028, adjusted for inflation. The child tax credit would also rise by $500, reaching $2,500 from 2025 through 2028, before reverting to $2,000 with inflation adjustments.
One of the more contentious provisions involves changes to the SALT deduction. Currently capped at $10,000, the bill raises the limit to $40,000 for households earning up to $500,000, with the cap gradually decreasing for higher earners. The cap and threshold would increase by 1% annually over the next decade.
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson responded to the proposal by assuring residents that the state’s reserves are in place to offset potential funding losses.
“The federal government, the Trump administration, is engaging in all kinds of cuts to our budget, potentially, so I want to make sure we have a reserve fund to make sure we can withstand the chaos coming from Donald Trump,” Ferguson said.
For businesses, the bill allows partnerships and S corporations to deduct 23% of their qualified income, an increase from the current 20%.
Changes to SNAP and Medicaid
The bill would reduce funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by an estimated $267 billion over 10 years. Under the proposal, states would begin contributing 5% of SNAP benefit costs in fiscal year 2028 and 75% of administrative costs—an increase from the current 50%.
The bill also expands work requirements for food assistance. Able-bodied adults without dependents would be required to meet work requirements until age 64, up from the current cutoff at age 54. Additionally, exemptions for parents would be limited to those caring for children under age 7; current law exempts parents until their children turn 18.
Medicaid would also undergo significant changes, with an estimated $700 billion in reduced spending over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Beginning in late 2026, the bill would require able-bodied adults without dependents to complete 80 hours per month of work, education, or community service to maintain coverage. Eligibility verification would increase from once to twice per year.
“This Republican budget scam is a direct threat to Medicaid. It will strip everyday Americans of their healthcare, snatch food from the mouths of hungry children, and kick our elders out of nursing homes,” said Strickland in a statement.
The CBO projects that the proposed changes could result in 8.6 million fewer Americans having health insurance over the next decade.
Additional Provisions
The legislation also includes language to eliminate taxes on gun silencers, halt federal funding to Planned Parenthood, impose taxes on large university endowments, overhaul student loan programs, and expand fossil fuel development on public lands.
During his campaign, President Trump pledged to lower food and gas prices and ease the cost burden on American households. Critics argue the bill fails to deliver on those promises.
“House Republicans just voted on a bill that does nothing to lower costs on working families who need the most help in reducing costs. This is Robin Hood in reverse: Robbing from the poor to give to the rich,” said Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA). “It will take away health coverage from millions of American families, halt investments in job-creating energy projects, and saddle taxpayers in every state with higher costs and more financial strain. This devastating bill will add trillions to the federal debt just to give a giant tax break to corporations and the ultra-rich.”
Strickland echoed those concerns.
“President Trump, Elon Musk, and House Republicans keep claiming to lower costs. Instead, they are lying and stealing from the American people,” she said.
The legislation is expected to face further revisions in the Senate, where Democrats are preparing to push back against provisions they say would disproportionately affect vulnerable Americans.
