Golden statement on passage of GOP’s partisan reconciliation bill

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) released the following statement after the House GOP gave final passage to H.R. 1, their reconciliation budget bill, in a party-line 218-214 vote.  

Golden voted against the bill. 

“This year, we had a real opportunity to pass a budget that put the middle class first. The reality of slim majorities in both chambers of Congress should have created an incentive to work across the aisle. The parties could have worked together to extend middle-class tax cuts without giveaways to corporations and the wealthy. We could have built on the success of $35 insulin and Medicare drug price negotiations to make health care more affordable. We could have reduced the deficit — something both parties agree should be a priority.

“Instead, from the very beginning, this GOP majority has used a broken, partisan process where the only choices put on the floor seemed to be ‘bad’ or ‘worse.’ 

“As a result, we have a law that will take health care away from tens of thousands of Mainers, close rural hospitals across the country, and blow up the national debt — all to pay for tax cuts that mostly benefit those at the top. While I am proud to join the entire Maine delegation in voting against this bill, the truth is Mainers will suffer because of this partisan, harmful budget.” 

Background on H.R. 1, the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill Act”:

• Lost Coverage, Increased Health Care Costs: The bill cuts Medicaid by $930 billion, and eliminates tax credits that help individuals afford insurance on the ACA marketplace (coverME.gov in Maine). Estimates on the impact on coverage rates vary, but Maine DHHS says as many as 31,000 Mainers will lose MaineCare coverage in the first year. Mainers who buy insurance plans on the marketplace will see premiums rise by $1,280 on average, and tens of thousands are expected to lose coverage in the face of those steep premium increases.
• Rural Hospitals to Close: Medicaid cuts and other provisions that target support for rural health care will put the squeeze on hospitals in places like Maine, many of which are already facing a budget crisis. One study found that two hospitals in ME-02 — one in Ellsworth and another in Presque Isle — are among the more than 300 rural hospitals nationwide most at risk of closure because of the cuts.
• A System Rigged for the Top: The bill extends the lopsided tax cuts from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, among other tax provisions.That includes nearly $1 trillion in tax cuts for the top 1 percent, while cuts for health care and food assistance mean the bottom 20 percent will see their after-tax income decrease.
• Exploding National Debt: The bill will add up to $3.9 trillion to the debt through Fiscal Year 2034. In 10 years, the bill could see the national debt climb to 130 percent of GDP — a new record high. Payments on the debt are already the third-highest line item in the federal budget, behind only Medicare and Social Security.
• A Precedent for Dishonest Accounting: The bill uses an accounting trick known as the “current policy baseline” to artificially reduce the legislation’s cost in Congress’ accounting of revenues and expenditures. This never-before used gimmick sets a dangerous precedent by which majority parties can enact costly agendas without a fair and honest accounting of the price. 

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