So Who Wrote the "Big Beautiful Bill?"
By now we're all elbow-deep in some summary or other of the "Big Beautiful Bill," trying to wade through 11 tar pits, ahem, chapters on immigration, taxes, the military, Medicaid, Medicare, and how to otherwise beat down communities of color, undocumented immigrants, and disadvantaged neighborhoods and schools. The House voted it in. The Senate voted it in (with a tie-breaker from JD Vance). And now it's back to the House while we wait to be disappointed one more time.
But who wrote this bill in the first place? It sure as hell wasn't Donald Trump.
It was Jodey Arrington, U.S. Representative for West Texas since 2017, and a member of the Republican Party (in case that wasn't clear). He was hired in 2005 to work for the Bush Administration as Deputy Federal Coordinator and Chief Operating Officer, specializing in assistance relief and recovery efforts in the wake of FEMA's response to Hurricane Katrina. He later served as Chief of Staff at Texas Tech and President of Scott Laboratories, a research and development company, before running unsuccessfully in 2014, and winning a seat in the House in 2017.
Arrington supported Donald Trump's Muslim ban in 2017, saying, "It is important that our commander in chief puts the safety of Americans first." He defended a proposal to cut access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), citing a Bible Passage: "He says even when we were with you we give you this rule, 'If a man will not work he shall not eat,'" and stating, "I think it's a reasonable expectation that we have work requirements." Arrington proposed to raise the work requirement for SNAP benefits from 60 to 65 in the BBB, section 10008.
Arrington was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the Supreme Court to contest the results of the 2020 election. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case.
Arrington voted against doubling the available H-2B visas, which allow employers to temporarily hire foreign workers for skilled positions.
He voted to terminate requirements imposed by the CDC for proof of COVID-19 vaccines for travelers.
He voted against the expulsion of Representative George Santos, who was convicted of identity theft and wire fraud for stealing COVID benefits and lying about everything from his religious background, being a victim of a mass shooting, and attending NYU.
He opposed certifying the 2020 election, and while condemning the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, voted against impeaching Donald Trump.
"Tomorrow I will object to certifying votes from states I believe clearly violated the Constitution in the Presidential election of 2020." - Jodey Arrington, January 5
He voted against the Promoting Opportunities for Non-Traditional Capital Formation Act, which aimed to enhance support for underrepresented small businesses.
He voted for the Rescissions Act, which aimed to cut $9.4 billion in funding from foreign aid, global health, disaster aid, clean energy programs, and public broadcasting.
He has stood in staunch support of Israel after the 2023 Hamas attack, but did not vote on condemning the rise in ideologically motivated attacks on Jewish individuals or denouncing the antisemitic terrorist attack in Boulder, Colorado.
He voted to change the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America."
He voted for the Protecting Children from Experimentation Act, which can sentence a healthcare professional who performs or provides a referral for gender-affirming care to prison for up to five years. He also supported removing transgender athletes from women's sports and opposed expanding the Civil Rights Act to include gender identity as a protected class.
"In an increasingly unstable and dangerous geopolitical environment, America must project strength - this legislation shows our unwavering commitment to our troops, good stewardship of taxpayer dollars, and the outright rejection of woke and un-American policies that have no place in our military." - Jodey Arrington
Arrington proposed the "Big Beautiful Bill" based on "ideas he has run on in his West Texas district, but just set at a national level." I ran the numbers on the 19th Congressional District, and they are as follows:
771,186 people live in the 19th District of Texas
15.6% or 120,305 live below the federal poverty line
16.7% or 128,788 are uninsured
10.7% or 82,516 are enrolled in Medicare
14.4% or 111,050 of 18-65 year-olds are enrolled in Medicaid
31.7% or 68,481 children are enrolled in The Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) through Medicaid
The median household income is $63,027, 22% below the national average, and women, on average, earn 34% less than men
There are 0 NCAA trans athletes
Currently (1:05 am on July 3rd), GOP holdouts are threatening the "Big Beautiful Bill" from passing in the House of Representatives, where it returned after the Senate made changes, including buying Alaskan Senator Lisa Murkowski's vote in exchange for expanding Medicaid in her state, and only her state.
I've said it a thousand times, but I hope this write-up, and I hope all the write-ups I and every other sweating Substacker have written in the last few weeks, turn out to be a moot point. I hope the bill doesn't pass. And I hope we can slide into the Midterms with a zest for life, and enough of a blue wave to impeach Donald Trump and remove him from office. But until then, keep reading, keep learning, keep talking to your neighbor, because the best fight we have in us is knowledge.
If you want to read my entire breakdown of the Big Beautiful Bill, you can find it in a recent post on my Substack, along with each individual chapter and title to read, share, cry over, call your Senator, whatever.
Until then, gang, don't give up. It ain't over 'til it's over.
Love ya.
If you’d like to read the entire bill, you can do that here:
The Big, Beautiful Bill
If you’d rather read my exceptionally nerdy summary of the bill, you can do that here:
H.R. 1 - The Big Beautiful Bill (Simplified) - The Whole Damn Thing
Ellie is an author, editor, and owner of Red Pencil Transcripts, and works with filmmakers, podcasts, and journalists all over the world. She lives with her family just outside of New York City.
Wow, what a winner. Thank you for all you do!!❤️
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!