Late Tuesday evening (2/25/25), the U.S. House passed President Musk’s (oops, President Trump’s) requested budget on a party-line vote. So, our Representative, Chuck Edwards, threw us under the bus again. Many constituents in NC District 11—except for the many billionaires who live among us—will take a hit to the pocketbook.
One Republican, Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky, said, “Here’s the deal: We are cutting taxes, and we’re not going to cut spending to match it, so the deficit is going to go up. That’s what this bill does.” His lonely but spot-on comment followed his refusal to join the remainder of his Republican colleagues in voting for the bill. His honest assessment was rooted in simple logic: it will be difficult to reduce the deficit when the true intent of the bill is to extend the 2017 tax cut, which contributed significantly to the deficit.
Just last week, we reviewed some of the reasons for the funding bill and speculated on the hidden agenda and the negative consequences for almost all of us (see Weekend Joe: Elon and the Oligarchs).
The Flimflam Man
The President and his Republican minions will focus on the bill’s efforts to rein in spending and reduce the deficit. If you sense the Grifter-in-Chief may be employing a bit of misdirection (remember the 30,000 lies during his first term), you will not be surprised by the consequential impact on most of the good citizens who voted for him—and, of course, on those of us who did not. There is certainly nothing quite like the vast majority of Americans, regardless of political stripes, suffering together to heal the wounds of division that have haunted us since 2015.
Accounting Magic
The reauthorization of the 2017 tax cut bill has to be front and center as we unpack the real focus of the new spending bill. The 2017 tax cut has already added $8.18 trillion to our national debt, which now stands at $38 trillion. That amounts to 20% of our total debt—Trump’s contribution in his first four-year term.
Now, he wants to extend the 2017 tax cut indefinitely. Estimates suggest the extension will add another $4.5 trillion over 10 years to the debt. This does not put more money into the pockets of ordinary Americans. In fact, another piece of the legislation mandates $2 trillion in spending cuts over 10 years to partially offset new border spending and the trillions in revenue lost to Trump’s tax cuts. (Even then, the new budget would still directly add $2.8 trillion to the deficit for the 2025 fiscal year.)
The Rich Get Richer
If Congress eventually extends Trump’s 2017 tax law, Americans making at least $5 million per year (representing 0.1% of taxpayers) would pocket an average cut of nearly $280,000, according to a recent analysis by the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center—or about 3% of their after-tax income.
On the other hand, middle-income households earning $65,000 to $116,000 (21% of taxpayers) would receive a tax cut of about $1,000, or 1.3% of their income.
I doubt that many of those who support Trump have any inkling that the Grifter-in-Chief will, for a second time, be throwing pennies on the street and inviting the masses to scramble with gratitude for the leftovers from his colossal tax scam.
Wrecking Many, Many Lives
For now, Trump’s budget blueprint doesn’t say which programs will be slashed; instead, it instructs specific House committees to cut specific amounts from the programs under their jurisdiction.
Medicaid
For example, the House Energy and Commerce Committee oversees a whopping $24.6 trillion in spending over 10 years. Nearly $24 trillion goes to Medicare and Medicaid during the same period—and the latter will almost certainly take the biggest hit.
Medicaid is a partnership between the federal government and the states that provides health coverage to 72 million poor and disabled Americans. To find $880 billion in savings over 10 years, Republicans have signaled they may establish a national work requirement for Medicaid recipients who don’t have disabilities and don’t have young children. 40% of U.S. children are dependent on Medicaid for their healthcare.
Republican legislators in North Carolina delayed Medicaid healthcare funding for 500,000 low-income citizens for 10 years. North Carolina sent billions in taxes to Washington during that period. Finally, two years ago, the NCGA heeded the outcry in the state and expanded Medicaid. 630,000 NC citizens are now on Medicaid, with the vast bulk of funding coming from our tax dollars sent to Washington. If Medicaid funding is substantially cut as expected, don’t count on Republican legislators in Raleigh to suddenly cover whatever federal funding is lost during this budget process.
But cutting Medicaid funding will not cover the entire $880 billion. The committee will likely scale back federal spending on working-class adults who were added to Medicaid when the program expanded under President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act. As many as 21 million Medicaid beneficiaries in 41 states will be affected.
Republican Attacks on Children
The Education and Workforce Committee oversees $722 billion in spending, and nearly all of it involves child nutrition and student aid. Almost half of that money ($330 billion) would disappear under Trump’s new budget blueprint.
Feeding Vulnerable Families
The Agriculture Committee oversees $1.5 trillion in spending; the bulk of that money funds food benefits (aka food stamps) through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). About 42 million Americans—including 1 in 5 children—rely on SNAP benefits to afford groceries each month, and reducing those benefits or restricting eligibility would directly impact their ability to put food on the table.
The Uncaring Republican Budget Process
The Republican-controlled Senate is unlikely to give a blanket endorsement of the House budget proposal. The Senate Republicans passed their own preferred version of the bill last week. In the end, the Senate (and whatever version of a budget it agrees on) and the passed House version will go through a reconciliation process. Then, we move on to the central drama of this budget process: Will Trump accept the Senate/House reconciliation, or seek to impose his will? It will certainly make for high drama, and Trump will be the center of attention for another few news cycles. Or, perhaps President Musk will get out his chainsaw and impose DOGE law on all involved.
However the drama plays out, let’s not lose sight of the central tragedy of the process. Those who can least afford to take yet another hit to their meager financial survival will be sacrificed to the “needs” of the billionaire class and their corporate allies. And it is children who are most vulnerable. The willful combination of greed and thirst for power behind this political maneuvering is almost unimaginable. I confess that I sometimes wake up at night questioning how we arrived at this juncture in history.
So, our task as citizens who actually care about all Americans is to weather this storm without losing sight of the long game. We will begin the process of taking back our country in the midterms next year. Chuck Edwards, Tim Moffitt, Jennifer Balkcom, and Jake Johnson must go. They have completely abandoned the citizens of WNC and Henderson County—Unaffiliateds, Republicans, and Democrats alike.
Put aside any hopelessness that might occasionally visit. The tide is starting to turn. Henderson County moved left more than any other of the 100 counties in North Carolina last November. Our county was one of the top performers among all US counties in the recent election. Our Republican representatives in Washington and Raleigh have graced us with their blind adherence to far right doctrine that puts everyone in grave jeopardy. It is now our task to make their betrayal universally known.
Weekend Joe
Joe Elliott
Carolann Connor
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