Another betrayal of working people

While our nation celebrated 249 years of freedom and independence on July 4, something very troubling happened in Washington D.C. Republicans in Congress and the President wanted us to believe it was “one big beautiful bill” and a victory for working people. In actuality, amidst a “celebration” on the White House lawn as the President signed the largest job-killing bill in American history. This is a bill that forces working families to pay higher bills, rips health care away from 17 million people, and destroys millions of jobs across healthcare, construction, energy and more to give tax breaks to the wealthy. 

Many are describing this bill as “harsh,” “cruel,” and “brutal” as analysis shows its impacts will cause the most harm to the most vulnerable Americans. Some have even called many of the policies “Robin Hood in reverse” as they will benefit the wealthiest and hurt those earning under $50,000 annually. 

Here’s a quick rundown: The bill calls for an estimated $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, the program that funds the Oregon Health Plan and that 1.4 million Oregon residents rely on for their health coverage. Medicaid is the largest health insurance program in America, providing essential care and services for children, elderly, people with disabilities, and low income families. 

This cruel law will leave millions sicker, hungrier, and poorer. It slashes healthcare and food assistance, defunds public schools and higher education, shutters rural hospitals, cuts jobs, targets immigrant communities and explodes the national debt — all to pay for tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy. Another cruel provision in this bill may cause over 20 million families to lose some or all of their food assistance benefits, the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP). 

The bill threatens an estimated 1.75 million construction jobs and over 3 billion work hours — which translates to $148 billion in lost annual wages and benefits. Let’s call it what it is: This bill picked the pockets of working people to hand billionaires a $5 trillion gift, adding over $3 trillion to the federal deficit over the next 10 years. 

Additionally, the changes made to federal immigration law will destabilize communities for generations to come. As we have seen with coverage of increased workplace raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the detentions of union members and leaders, the administration’s mass deportation agenda is wreaking havoc and ripping apart families across our country. Increased deportations as a result of this bill could destroy nearly six million jobs and will reduce employment in every state with as many as 18.8% of construction jobs and 15.1% of child care jobs eliminated according to the Economic Policy Institute. 

That’s why the National AFL-CIO alongside the entire American labor movement has launched a nationwide campaign — the “It’s Better in a Union: Fighting for Freedom, Fairness and Security” bus tour. While big corporations profit off the backs of working people and politicians continue to raise costs and cut essential lifesaving services, the labor movement will travel the country providing a voice to — and building power with — workers in the lead up to Labor Day. 

Even though Republicans in Congress and the President have just enacted what many are calling the largest upward transfer of wealth in history, working people are still the backbone of this country. And until every worker dreaming of a better life has the transformational, life-changing opportunity to hold a union card and achieve justice in their workplaces and communities, we will never stop fighting against the broken status quo. 

Graham Trainor is president of the Oregon AFL-CIO, the statewide federation of labor unions, representing over 300,000 working Oregonians.