How the Big Bad Bill hurts you and every Pennsylvanian

Rep. Gina H. Curry    July 8, 2025 | 11:46 AM

HARRISBURG, July 8 – Pennsylvania House Democrats stood together in the State Capitol in Harrisburg to expose the ugly truth about the so-called federal “Big Beautiful Bill” and the damage it will cause to people in every corner of the commonwealth.

Lawmakers with expertise in health care, food aid, school funding, energy costs and other topics talked about how defunding those core government functions to pay for tax breaks for billionaires will bust the state’s budget and lead to massive cuts in services.

“This bill is a direct attack on the health and wellbeing of Pennsylvanians. It strips health care from working families, risks food insecurity, threatens to close hospitals and clinics, and shifts crushing costs onto our communities -- all to hand out tax breaks to billionaires,” House Majority Appropriations Chairman Jordan Harris, D-Phila., said. “I know the state budget can’t absorb the damage this bill would cause. Lives will be at risk, and we cannot afford to sit silently while people’s health is treated like a bargaining chip.”

“As an ER doc for 25 years, I have devoted most of my adult life to caring for those in need. I also know that the emergency department is the ‘Canary in the Coal Mine,’ the place where we see all the challenges in delivering affordable and accessible health care,” Rep. Arvind Venkat, D-Allegheny, said. “Without a doubt, the Big Bad Bill will decimate health care access and increase health care costs in our state. It will rip health insurance away from hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians, close hospitals, nursing homes, and clinics, raise premiums and other health care costs for all, and cost lives.”

"The Big Bad Bill kills thousands of clean energy projects at a time when we need them most. As a result, the average American will see their electric bills rise 10%, and the energy sector will lose 800,000 jobs,” House Majority Energy Committee Chair Elizabeth Fiedler, D-Phila., said. “This isn't efficient government spending, it's an act of theft, stealing from working people and families so that the Trump administration can line the pockets of billionaires, fossil fuel executives, and their corporate backers with massive tax cuts."

“Kicking 300,000 people off Medicaid will force schools to shut down programs for kids with disabilities, kids facing mental health problems, and kids with behavioral problems. It’s either shut down those programs or raise local taxes to pay for them, and we all know that won’t happen,” House Majority Subcommittee Chair on Basic Education Gina H. Curry, D-Delaware, said. “SNAP cuts mean fewer free and reduced-cost meals, which means more kids worrying about their bellies than their textbooks. We shouldn’t be making kids and families suffer to make billionaires even richer.”

"During the pandemic, we almost solved food insecurity because we invested in SNAP and provided universal school meals to all kids. Rather than taking the lessons from that time, this cruel bill abandons those who need help most," House Legislative Hunger Caucus Chair Rep. Emily Kinkead, D-Allegheny, said. “Given that the number of food-insecure people in Pennsylvania has increased by the combined populations of Altoona, Harrisburg, Lancaster, and Williamsport in just the last two years, I cannot overstate the suffering this bill will cause, and the state simply does not have the means to close the gap."

While the financial impacts of the bill will likely not impact the passage of the 2025-26 Pennsylvania budget, the effect on the 2026-27 budget could be catastrophic.