On June 14, Americans again took to the streets to protest. In many communities, it was promoted as “No Kings Day,” but the Montezuma County League of Women Voters and Indivisible, both nonpartisan organizations, chose to promote the rally in this county as one celebrating Flag Day and our democracy.
Over 750 people attended – even though the event was rescheduled to the hottest time of the day so as not to interfere with the Annual Ute Mountain Ute Rodeo Parade.
As an observer, what struck me most about this demonstration was the absolute joy that attendees brought. Many shared they have been worried about the current state of affairs and felt powerless to do anything. Attending a rally gave them the opportunity to come together with others whose concerns might not be the same, but who felt a need to gather in the hope of capturing the attention of those representing them in Washington. At the very least, participants left knowing they were not alone in their concerns.
The Big Beautiful Bill is now in the Senate with the goal of getting it passed by the end of the week or over the weekend. It will then go back to the House for a vote on the revised bill with it potentially being enacted by July 4.
A closer look at this bill should raise concerns for everyone. Though massive cuts to the budget are being proposed, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that if passed, this bill will increase the national debt by $2.4 trillion to $3 trillion.
Touted as a tax cut for all Americans, in reality, those in the poorest income bracket, $35,000 a year or less, would see a less than 1% cut ($160 on average) but would actually be negatively impacted with cuts to Medicaid and other social services. Middle class tax relief averages $730, though some middle-class taxpayers might see an increase in their taxes. The big winners in this tax bill are the wealthy, receiving 60% of the legislation’s benefits. Those who can most afford to pay more, actually will have to pay less for the massive financial success they have realized living in this country subsidized by the U.S. government – from tax breaks to loan guarantees and infrastructure investments.
A major concern continues to be cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. On Sunday, The Denver Post reported “Medicaid cuts in Trump tax bill could close six rural hospitals in Colorado.” Southwest Memorial was one of the hospitals listed. Cuts to Medicaid don’t just hurt those receiving Medicaid benefits; they hurt the entire community when these services and jobs disappear because the Medicaid revenues that supported them are no longer available.
Are you a hunter, fisherman, hiker or biker? Many of the public lands that allow you to enjoy these activities may be up for sale if this bill passes, including public lands currently available for grazing.
On Tuesday, in response to the Senate parliamentarian and a public outcry, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, the main proponent of selling public lands, scaled back his original proposal to sell over 250 million acres of Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Services lands in 11 Western states to 1.25 million to 1.9 million acres of only BLM lands over the next five years.
The bill also authorizes broad discretion to the secretaries of the Interior and agriculture to determine which lands should be auctioned off -- BLM lands in the Dolores River Canyon are listed -- and excludes local citizens from the decision-making process. See http://bit.ly/3TCeQO for an interactive map.
The Big Beautiful Bill is an omnibus bill that includes diverse and unrelated legislation that could have enormous implications for the future from severely restricting federal courts’ authority to hold government officials in contempt if they violate judicial orders to imposing a 10-year ban on state-level regulations of artificial intelligence. This is a direct assault on the independence of the judiciary and states’ rights.
This legislation has some serious downsides for Montezuma County and Colorado citizens. Learn more about it and share your concerns with your representatives today.
Karen Sheek of Cortez is the chair of the Montezuma County League of Women Voters. She served two terms on Cortez City Council and two terms as mayor. Contact the local league at lwvmzc@gmail.com and on Facebook at https://bit.ly/3YgpBZt.
