HARLINGEN, TEXAS - U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez said he wanted to concentrate on the “Big, Bad Bill” when he spoke recently to the South Texas Alliance of Mayors.
Republicans call it the Big, Beautiful Bill. Gonzalez, a Democrat from McAllen, said it was “mean” because it placed the greatest burden on the poor while giving the “ultra, ultra, rich” permanent tax breaks.
“The Big Bad Bill that we voted for recently - that I voted against - passed the House, and it has some significant impacts here in the Rio Grande Valley, particularly when it comes to healthcare,” Gonzalez said, at an event hosted for the South Texas Alliance of Mayors by Harlingen Mayor Norma Sepulveda at the Harlingen Arts & Heritage Museum.
“When this bill takes effect, we're going to lose about $500 billion in Medicare, and that's healthcare for senior citizens across the country. And that's not a freebie, it's not a gift, it's not an entitlement. It's something people have been paying for and paying into their entire lives. And we lose over a ten-year period even more than that, on Medicaid,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez said that the Rio Grande Valley, about one in four households rely on Medicaid.
“And, if you're not on Medicaid, and you think, well, I have private insurance, I don’t think it affects me… well, it does. When you strip that much healthcare out of any community, about a trillion dollars nationally, what does it do?” Gonzalez asked.
He answered his own question.
“Businesses shutter their doors. Doctors leave specialty clinics. They can’t afford to keep their doors open because they lose so much of the market share. At the end of the day, it impacts healthcare outcomes here in the Valley.”
About $300 billion is being cut from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, otherwise known as SNAP, Gonzalez said.
“SNAP is obviously significant here, not only for our food banks, but also, for Meals on Wheels, for our senior citizens, for our school lunch programs. Sometimes, the only meal some kids actually get is at school, that breakfast and that lunch is where they eat,” Gonzalez said.
“I thought it was a really mean bill. I know how it's being touted and sold, talking about no tax on tips, or no tax on overtime, or no tax on Social Security. That is false because there is a tax deduction, but your Social Security still gets taxed,” Gonzalez said.
“All three of those things that I just mentioned expire in 2028 and so it was a kind of a sales point. The major tax breaks for the billionaires and multinational corporations, those are permanent, and at the end of the day, over a ten-year period, it'll cost us almost $3 trillion in increasing our national debt.”
The main purpose of The Big Bad Bill, Gonzalez said, “was to benefit the ultra, ultra wealthy.” He said he was not referring to the “casual millionaire” that owns a small mom and pop business has been working all their life or for generations to build a little capital.
“These are the largest, most wealthy people (the legislation benefits). We probably have one constituent in RGV that qualifies for those tax breaks, right? We all know who that is. So, at the end of the day, those are things that we need to push back on.”
Gonzalez said things can be changed but it requires voters to exercise their constitutional right.
“I still think things can change, and we can fix a lot of this. But it’s important for us to engage members of Congress, our U.S. senators, and come up to DC. I think you all had some great visits when you have been up there. Continue to engage with the federal government and assure members of Congress that you are in line for projects.”
Gonzalez started his remarks by praising the Alliance for South Texas Cities.
“It really warms my heart, coming from Washington, D.C., and living in some of the most divisive times in American history. And I mean that literally. So, coming home and seeing everybody working together, and mayors from across the region taking this alliance seriously, really is such a great thing that you can do for our region,” Gonzalez told the mayors.
“When people are in when we're in Washington, nobody differentiates McAllen from Harlingen from Brownsville. They just see us as a region, and it's important that we see each other that way. And historically, we have worked together. Members of Congress from the region have worked together closely, because what's good for one is good for all of us.”
Gonzalez added that he has been able to bring almost $8 billion of federal resources to the region. “When people ask, what do I want to be known for, I want to be known for bringing the money home.”
Editor's Note: Here is a video recording of U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez's remarks at the South Texas Alliance of Mayors event:
