California Governor Gavin Newsom is sharply criticizing a newly passed bill backed by President Donald Trump, calling it a “moral failure” that endangers millions of Americans — especially working families, students, and the state’s most vulnerable communities.
The legislation, dubbed the “Big, Beautiful Bill,” was passed by House Republicans and signed by the President not long thereafter.
It’s being touted by Trump as a centerpiece of his economic agenda. But Newsom says the bill “rips care from cancer patients, meals from children, and money from working families” to give tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy.
“With this measure, Donald J. Trump’s legacy is now forever cemented: he has created a more unequal, more indebted, and more dangerous America. Shame on him,” Newsom stated.
What the bill does
The sweeping legislation cuts billions in federal spending from programs that provide health care, food assistance, college aid, and public safety resources, while granting significant tax relief to high-income earners and corporations.
According to Governor Newsom’s office, the impact on California could be severe and includes the following:
- Health care:
- $28.4 billion in Medicaid cuts to California.
- Up to 17 million people nationwide projected to lose coverage by 2034.
- Cuts that may force rural hospitals across the state to close or limit care options.
- Jobs:
- An estimated 686,000 California jobs could be lost due to the elimination of clean energy tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act.
- Labor groups have called the legislation possibly the “biggest job-killing bill in American history.”
- Food and family assistance:
- Cuts food aid for more than 3 million people nationwide.
- Raises taxes for parents who pay for child care.
- Public safety:
- $646 million cut from FEMA, impacting disaster preparedness.
- Cuts to the FBI, DEA, and ATF, reducing law enforcement staffing and capabilities.
- Nearly $500 million slashed from cybersecurity efforts, raising concerns over national infrastructure security.
- Education and student aid:
- Restricts access to Pell Grants and financial aid.
- Eliminates loan forgiveness options and deferments for borrowers facing financial hardship.
- Environmental and climate programs:
- Eliminates wildfire prevention programs, a direct threat to fire-prone regions of California.
- Imposes new penalties on hybrid and electric vehicle owners, undermining green energy incentives.
- Reproductive rights:
- Defunds Planned Parenthood, jeopardizing health care access for more than 1.1 million patients.
- Immigration and family separation:
- Expands funding for immigration raids, increasing the risk of family separation and workplace crackdowns, particularly in agricultural areas.
Newsom accused President Trump and his supporters of using the bill to advance a political agenda that benefits the wealthy while hurting working Americans. On the other side, the President called the legislative victory “a triumph of democracy.”
