Washington, D.C....I voted against H.R. 1, formerly known as the "Big Beautiful Bill." It was horrible in May and it’s horrible now.  H.R. 1 rewards the rich, harms the working class and families, and explodes our national debt. My colleagues and I have done everything possible to stop the bill in its tracks and force both parties to craft durable, practical legislation to benefit all Americans, to decrease our spending and manage both the national debt and the debt ceiling crises.  

Unfortunately, the Senate passed its version of the bill on July 1, and it came back to the House for a final vote. On the evening of July 1, I co-sponsored eight amendments and proposed four of my own, all designed to improve the bill that is a moral, fiscal and legislative failure: 

• The first amendment would protect individuals with disabilities from being subjected to burdensome Medicaid eligibility re-verifications every six months.

• The second amendment blocks any funds from being used if the legislation results in increased taxes or a higher cost of living for individuals earning $400,000 or less.   

• The third amendment ensures that none of the funds in this legislation can be used to dismantle veterans’ services or facilities, and in particular, the Coatesville VA Medical Center in my district.  

• The fourth amendment would ensure the legislation does not take effect until Pete Hegseth is no longer serving as Secretary of Defense. Modernizing our national defense infrastructure is important but a blank check for $150 billion without a plan or accounting from the Pentagon is not the way to do it.

I tried to improve a piece of legislation that strips health insurance from 17 million Americans, including 22,000 people in our district.  

A bill that puts 71 million Americans at risk of losing Medicaid coverage, 140,000 of them who live in our district. 

A bill that eliminates already meager supplemental nutrition programs for 4 million hungry Americans, 400,000 of them Pennsylvanians.  

But President Trump threatened enough Republicans in Washington that they turned their backs on everyday Americans and bent over backwards to make life easier for billionaires. 

H.R. 1 is catastrophic for this nation, no matter how many ways the Republicans try to dress it up, and I voted against it. I will always vote against legislation that threatens the health, welfare, and security of my constituents. 

Elections have consequences and because the majority rules, we will all pay for their mistakes, cruelty and cowardice for years to come.  This bill will reverberate for generations.