UPDATE: The Big Ugly Betrayal Has Passed

218 Representatives, 50 Senators, and Vice President J.D. Vance voted to pass an overwhelmingly unpopular piece of legislation they call the “Big Beautiful Bill” – but we call it the Big Ugly Betrayal.

This bill slashes aid for families, cuts taxes for billionaires, and pours money into expanding Trump’s secret police force.

Poll after poll showed voters opposed it. Common Cause members sent thousands of letters and made calls demanding Congress reject it. And while we forced some changes — like the removal of a dangerous 10-year ban on AI regulation and other special interest giveaways — the damage is real.

This Bill Doesn’t Balance the Budget — It Reshapes America for the Ultra-Wealthy

This bill won’t balance the budget — because that was never the goal. It’s a calculated power grab designed to reshape American life for the benefit of the billionaire class, and they’re counting on us to be too distracted, divided, or exhausted to fight back.

Here are some of the worst parts of Trump’s budget bill:

• Cuts Medicaid by 18%, dropping 17 million people from coverage.
  
• Slashes food aid for families in need by 20%, with red tape that could leave over 2 million people unable to put food on the table.
  
• Repeals clean energy programs, adding new taxes on wind and solar and increasing our electricity bills by up to 10%.
  
• Extends Trump’s tax cuts for the ultra-rich, adding new loopholes for millionaires and billionaires – while working people get nothing.
  
• Pours tens of billions of dollars into Trump’s mass deportation machine, boosting ICE funding even as agents snatch people off the street in masks, refusing to identify themselves.

All to bankroll Trump’s mass deportation machine and give more handouts to the top 1%. See what’s in the bill

Real People Will Suffer Now That This Bill has Become Law

This fight isn’t just about the federal budget. It’s about protecting our health, rights, and democracy:

• Families will lose healthcare coverage.
• Kids will go hungry as food assistance has been gutted.
• Communities will face more pollution with fewer environmental protections.
• Voices will be silenced for challenging those in power.

The People’s Promise: Our Answer to Their Corruption

At Common Cause, we believe the best way to fight back is to bring more people in — not push them out.

That’s why we launched the People’s Promise mobilization, our largest non-election-year organizing effort ever.

We’re demanding:

• An economy that works for all — with livable wages, union rights, and affordable care
• A government that serves the people — not just the ultra-wealthy
• Equal rights and opportunity — where everyone’s voice counts and no one’s freedom is up for grabs

These aren’t partisan ideas, they’re American values. But we have to fight to make them real.

Right now, Donald Trump is pushing a slash-and-burn agenda and trying to turn it into law.

As working Americans struggle with rising costs and the impact of Trump’s tariffs, they’re leading an effort to rip hundreds of billions of dollars from the programs that keep our communities fed, healthy, and safe from pollution. 

Join the Movement: The People’s Promise

We’ve faced threats like this before. And every time, it’s democracy activists like you who’ve risen up to protect our values.

Our People’s Promise mobilization — which we recently launched to run all summer long—is all about giving ordinary folks like us the seat at the table we deserve.

Members of Congress work for us — and we can’t let them spend another day ignoring our wants, hopes, and needs as they spend our tax dollars and make decisions that affect every aspect of our lives. Join us in taking action at PeoplesPromise.us