Rights groups outraged with Trump’s reconciliation bill

LOS ANGELES - Rights groups are outraged with the passage of the Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill which prioritizes harmful immigration crackdowns and billionaire tax breaks at the expense of the urgent needs of everyday Americans, cutting vital programs like Medicaid, nutrition assistance and student loans.

In a statement, the Asian Americans Advancing Justice, a network of four independent Asian American civil rights organizations in Southern California, Atlanta, Washington DC and Chicago, said that the Reconciliation Bill is especially harmful for the over 23 million Asian Americans, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders who call the United States home, “betraying the American people and abandoning the values that established this country as a beacon of hope, freedom, and justice.”

“When the House initially passed the Reconciliation Bill in May, we were appalled by the harm it would cause to immigrant communities,” AAJC said adding, “We are again equally outraged by their final approval.”

AAJC estimated the over 2.3 million low-income AANHPI will be most affected because they rely on essential health and nutrition programs to live and support their families, calling it  a “direct attack not only to immigrant communities but all Americans.”

According to the statement, the bill will negatively affect SNAP recipients, including more than 1 million Asian Americans and 128,000+ Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders currently receiving SNAP benefits, putting them at a higher risk of food insecurity.

At the same time, the 17 per cent of the Asian Americans who rely on Medicaid and 1 in 4 AANHPI children lose access to health insurance. Access to higher education will also impact the 47 per cent Asian American students receiving federal financial aid assistance because of decreases in loan caps.

“We need laws that invest in opportunities and our future—that uplift families and the most vulnerable, not laws that cater to the mega-rich and funnel resources into systems of exclusion and cruelty,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, the National Domestic Workers Alliance warned “lawmakers who chose cruelty over compassion” that they will mobilize to hold them accountable after having  fought tirelessly, standing shoulder-to-shoulder at vigils, rallies, and lobbying blitzes against the provisions of the bill.

“Today, our hearts are heavy,” NDWA said adding that “now, it’s time to turn our grief and outrage into powerful action.”  The group revealed that, “ in just a few weeks, our massive Protect Medicaid Mobilizations will send an undeniable message: these heartless cuts will have consequences.”

The membership of the nationwide organization of domestic workers, include care workers who will lost their livelihoods overnight. NDWA said that Medicaid pays for 70% of home care and is often care workers’ only pathway to affordable, quality care for themselves and “these massive cuts are going to have a ripple effect throughout our communities – countless care workers will lose their jobs and their healthcare – all so immigration receives supercharged funding for ICE raids in our communities.”

“You cannot harm our families without facing our collective power,” NDWA reiterated its warning citing Congress’ decision “will disproportionately impact communities that have already faced generations of neglect and underinvestment” like the immigrant workers, people of color, and those living in poverty who bear the brunt of these devastating cuts.