Congressman Fields Expresses Disdain in the Passage of President Trump’s Budget Bill

Washington, DC – Today the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1, President Trump’s so called “One Big Beautiful Bill”, by a margin of 218 to 214. Congressman Fields (LA-06) joined every House Democrat in voting against the largest cut to healthcare and food assistance in American history. 

This legislation will have long-lasting and devasting impacts on Louisiana and the nation. On a national level, this bill cuts more than $1 trillion from funding for Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act. It will strip away nearly 17 million Americans’ health insurance, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. 

Over 1.6 million Louisiana residents depend on Medicaid, including half of all children, two-thirds of mothers and newborns, and three-quarters of all nursing home residents in the state. About 260,000 people statewide in Louisiana are projected to lose health insurance as a direct result of this bill, with over 36,000 residents in the sixth congressional district losing coverage. These cuts also put over 30 of Louisiana’s rural hospitals at risk of closure. 

This bill also creates barriers to access food through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by expanding SNAP work requirements and putting 5 million people nationwide and 200,000 people statewide are now at risk of having their SNAP benefits reduced or eliminated, due to the combination of additional work requirements and the state being forced to choose between offsetting the loss of federal funding or cutting services. 

Additionally, this bill also will negatively impact access to quality education by changing the requirements for Pell Grant eligibility from 24 credits to 30 credits per year and eliminating Pell Grants for part time students. Under these new requirements, nearly 25,000 students in Louisiana are projected to lose their entire Pell Grant assistance.

“This is bill is one of the worst pieces of legislation I have ever seen,” said Congressman Fields. “The poor will be kicked off their healthcare. Hospitals will close. People will die. Food will be taken out of hungry children’s mouths. How anyone could vote for this, and how any president could be proud to sign this into law, is unimaginable to me.”