Most people have heard the legend of the Trojan horse: The fabled tale in which Odysseus and the Greeks presented a wooden horse to their enemies — the Trojans — as a gift. The Trojans, confident of their victory, accepted the horse, not realizing there were Greek soldiers hidden inside ready to burn Troy to the ground. In the end, it’s easy to dismiss the Trojans as too foolish to spot the obvious catch in this implausible gesture. For most of us, it’s hard to imagine a world where a similar story could ever come true.
That is until late April when President Donald Trump’s administration presented a gift to the American people that would make even Odysseus blush. Calling it “One, Big, Beautiful Bill,” the act claims to be a collection of Trump’s economic promises made on the campaign trail. It includes pledges to boost border security, eliminate the tax on tips or social security checks and give tax breaks to businesses in hopes of strengthening the economy. To pay for these provisions, the bill proposes a number of cuts ranging from Medicaid to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funding. The bill has faced bipartisan opposition, even sparking the official end to the bromance between President Trump and Elon Musk in a dramatic Twitter feud.
Despite these flaws, the bill narrowly passed the House of Representatives 215-214. Now, as it makes its way to the Senate, Americans are pleading with our lawmakers to prevent the passage of this bill. Even so, it maintains a 76% approval rating among Republicans. A new oversight of Trojan proportions is taking place among the right. And yet, as the bill wheels itself through the legislative gates toward the White House, Republican lawmakers still have time to act before some of our most fundamental social programs are sacked and burned.
As of now, Medicaid is front and center in Trump’s crosshairs. Established by the Medicare and Medicaid Act in 1965 and passed with bipartisan support, former President Lyndon B. Johnson spearheaded the program to provide health insurance to low-income people and those with disabilities. The passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010 gave states the option to expand their Medicaid coverage further with federal funds. Since then, 41 states have expanded their Medicaid programs. Medicaid now covers 72 million Americans, or about a fifth of our population. Interestingly enough, of the seven states with 25% or more of their population on Medicaid, four voted for Trump in the 2024 election.
Now, Trump’s budget bill heads to the Senate, and includes upwards of $800 billion in Medicaid cuts. Recently, the Congressional Budget Office projected that these cuts would leave 10.9 million uninsured. The red states with the largest shares of Medicaid recipients are put at risk by these cuts, but many individual red districts throughout the country rely heavily on Medicaid as well — including Speaker Mike Johnson’s district, where 33% of residents are enrolled in the program.
Simply put, by voting in support of Trump’s tax bill, GOP legislators are placing their own constituents in harm’s way. Factor in the added cuts to the SNAP program, which threaten to put millions more at risk of food insecurity (including many in conservative districts), and the GOP’s plan of attack becomes clear: Lure America with the promise of savings and fiscal security, and release the cuts to food and healthcare later.
There is a sad tinge of irony in the way conservatives plan to implement their restructuring of Medicaid. In their most recent crusade against the program, conservatives have called for work requirements. Republicans argue that requiring people to find jobs will prevent them from accepting government handouts without finding real work. However, when the GOP-led Georgia legislature passed its own work requirements in 2023, they didn’t lead to higher levels of employment. Instead, they proved difficult to enforce and led to greater inefficiency and spending, the very evils the current administration vowed to bring to an end.
Conservatives’ pledges for responsible spending feel disingenuous at best given the documented cost of work requirements, and the CBO’s projection that the bill could raise the debt by more than $2.4 trillion, makes conservatives’ pledges for responsible spending feel disingenuous at best. With over $600 billion in tax cuts for the 1%, the 50% of working-class Americans who voted for Trump ought to see this bill for what it really is: A concerted effort by the politicians they elected to transfer wealth back into the hands of a privileged few. If this bill passes, just in the next year alone, the one percent’s per capita income is expected to increase by $400,000 while working wages will decrease by $1,000. There is nothing beautiful about this.
Instead of blindly accepting what Trump and his legislators have offered, Americans should open their eyes and ask themselves what they value more — tax cuts for the wealthy, or basic access to food and healthcare. The Trump administration has come bearing gifts. Now, it’s up to us to ask whether we’ll rely on a little ancient wisdom or welcome the conquerors in through the front door.
Gunnar Hartman is an Opinion Columnist studying public policy and economics. His column, “Cash and Constitutions,” focuses on the rise of authoritarianism and the role of money in politics. He can be reached at hartmang@umich.edu.