Brendan Boyle: OBBB Is the Single-Most Unpopular Major Piece of Legislation to Pass Congress in Our Lifetime

MOHYELDIN: “Let me turn if I can, congressman, to the Big, Beautiful Bill that has now become a law. And what you’re hearing from your constituents, has it settled in? What is about to happen to people across this country as a result of this bill becoming law and the gutting that it will do to so many critical social programs?”
BOYLE: “Well, you know, I think there are a couple of things going on simultaneously. The first is, we know from polling, and not just one opinion poll, but a collection of polls, that this is the single most unpopular major piece of legislation to pass Congress in our lifetime. That is a fact. But we also know that there’s still a number of people out there who either haven’t heard about it or don’t quite know all the details, despite, you know, my best efforts and the best efforts of many of us in order to inform the public. I think for them, what will actually happen — have to happen are the ramifications of this bill going into effect. And we’re already starting to see that. We saw already one health clinic and hospital in a rural area in Nebraska announce they are closing, specifically due to the Medicaid cuts. I’m telling you, and the CBO has said this as well, this is just the first of hundreds more that will close between now and next December, when the Medicaid cuts finally take effect.”
RAMPELL: “So, congressman, as you alluded to right then, the Medicaid cuts, most of them anyway through the work requirements, will not take effect immediately. They have been strategically designed to become binding after the midterms. Could you talk about what are the earliest consequences that your constituents, other Americans, are likely to notice and feel over the next couple of years, given the timing of the rollout of cuts and other changes to safety net benefits?”
BOYLE: “Yeah, it is a remarkably cynical move by Republicans that the bulk of their cuts don’t take effect literally until a few weeks after the 2026 midterm election. But even with that, there are cuts that will take place take place beginning in January 1st, is to Medicare. The over $500 billion worth of cuts begin in January. That’s related to previous legislation that had passed, known as PAYGO. In addition, the loss of tax credits that relate to the ACA or ObamaCare, CBO estimates that some 5 million Americans will lose their healthcare coverage, who are currently on the ACA. They begin to see the loss of those tax credits beginning in January. And, of course, the changes to SNAP, which will cause millions of people to lose their nutrition assistance. They start earlier the next December as well. So it really depends on the program that we’re talking about. But make no mistake about it, beginning as early as January, we start to see the full ramifications of this bill.”