While the devastating impact of the Budget Reconciliation Bill passed on July 3, 2025, and signed by President Trump on the Fourth of July might not be felt for months, Congressman Wesley Bell said Missourians should brace for a healthcare shock.
“The truth is, most people still don’t realize how devastating this will be. But they will,” Bell said in a release following the House giving the bill final approval.
“By then, the damage will already be done. Shame on every Republican who voted for this bill. You have failed your constituents, and you have failed the American people.”
Because the bill passed narrowly in the Senate (one vote) and the House (three votes), Republican Missouri Sens. Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt and Ann Wagner of the 2nd Congressional District were essential in the bill being adopted.
Bell called the House tally “one of the darkest votes in modern American history.”
Congressman Emauel Cleaver of Kansas City said, “it is morally reprehensible and supremely sinful to take from the poor to give more handouts to the richest among us.”
“But that is precisely what President Trump and Republicans have chosen to do. This betrayal will not be forgotten by the American people.”
“Children will fall through the cracks. Seniors will lose the care they rely on. Families already stretched to the limit will be left to fend for themselves.”
Rep. Wesley Bell
On the national and local fronts, Democrats vow to make the GOP pay when the mid-term elections are held in November 2026.
“Ann Wagner just voted to rob her constituents blind,” said Missouri Democratic Party Chair Russ Carnahan.
“This wasn’t just a vote; it was a betrayal. [The congresswoman] chose to punch down on working Missourians so Trump’s billionaire buddies could cash out. She owns the consequences, and come Election Day, she’ll pay the price.”
Carnahan also called out Hawley for “pretending to be undecided and voicing concerns about Medicaid cuts.”
“Hawley weakly caved to GOP leadership. Missouri voters won’t forget who sold them out,” he said.
Here is what Missouri has coming, based on recent analysis.
-Missouri households will face $2.1 billion in higher energy costs over the next decade
-37,400 jobs will be lost by 2035
-The state’s GDP will shrink by $27 billion
-Up to 260,000 Missourians could lose their health insurance
-4 rural hospitals are at risk of closing
-Tax hikes on the lowest-income Missourians
“This is an immoral thing,” said House Democratic Leader Congressman Hakeem Jeffries.
“The attack on healthcare is not just going to result on millions of people losing access, but hospitals will close, nursing homes will shut down. Community-based health clinics won’t be able to provide assistance.”
Nationally, nearly 79 million people received coverage under Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program as of March.
The insurance can cover doctor appointments, hospital visits, long-term care, prescription drugs, and lab testing. Eligibility varies across the country; recipients need to have an income near the poverty line to qualify in most states.
“This bill wasn’t about cutting waste, balancing budgets, or fiscal responsibility. It was about taking from the poor to give even more to the rich,” said Bell.
“This is the result of a political movement that has spent decades pushing one message: gut programs like Medicaid and Medicare, slash food assistance, and strip basic dignity from working people, just to hand billionaires and big corporations another tax break.
“Children will fall through the cracks. Seniors will lose the care they rely on. Families already stretched to the limit will be left to fend for themselves. And what do we get in return? A bill that adds trillions to the national debt, hands more power to the already powerful and tells struggling families to keep waiting their turn.”
Can you give detailed sources for the claims of the problems the passage of this bill will cause?