Legal Defense Fund (LDF) President and Director-Counsel Janai S. Nelson issued the following statement on Congress’ passage of the reconciliation bill, H.R. 1:
“Congress has just passed one of the most destructive and unjust pieces of legislation in modern history. Their “Big Ugly Bill” is a deliberate assault on the most vulnerable members of our society in order to line the pockets of the wealthiest. The bill will inflict generational harm on Black communities, people with disabilities, low-income families, veterans, immigrants, and countless others who already struggle to access basic necessities.
“The bill would strip health care from up to 17 million people through the largest Medicaid cuts in history, impose burdensome red tape to document work requirements on a population that largely already works, slash food assistance for more than 22 million Americans who rely on SNAP, gut programs that help ease the financial burden of student loan debt, and more. As is so often the case, this bill will only deepen entrenched inequities, and Black communities will bear the brunt of this cruelty.
“No matter what falsehoods some members of Congress tell – no one is getting rich off food stamps and Medicaid. Medicaid doesn’t even distribute money to its subscribers. These programs are crucial lifelines for vulnerable children and families, and this bill would tear them away.
“Meanwhile, the bill showers tax breaks on the wealthiest Americans and the largest corporations, widening the racial wealth gap and deepening systemic inequality. It is a villainous Robin Hood in reverse – stealing from the poor to give to the ultra-wealthy. But its harm does not stop at economic injustice: passage of this bill advances this Administration’s efforts to undermine our democracy and is the most striking example yet of Congress’ complete failure to check this Administration’s authoritarian march.
“This legislation may have passed Congress, but it does not represent our values as Americans. LDF will continue to fight for policies that serve all communities, not just the privileged few.
“Our fight does not stop here. Many of these destructive and extractive policies require substantial Congressional funding that will increase our country’s debt by trillions of dollars. We will continue to oppose those allocations and encourage every American to join the fight.”
###
Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is the nation’s first civil rights law organization. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF. Please note that LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957—although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights.
