On the eve of Independence Day, our Republican-led Senate and House moved at breakneck speed to narrowly pass their one big, ugly budget bill that cut hundreds of billions from Medicaid and SNAP to give massive tax breaks to corporations and the wealthy.
While President Trump and his supporters celebrate this cruel law that takes health care and food from people with the lowest incomes in this country and supercharges our dangerous detention and deportation system, we must never forget the harm this act is unleashing on communities.
Our voices matter. We can still take action to demand accountability, minimize harm to communities and protect funding for critical programs and services.
Here are five things you can do to continue to push back against these cuts:
1. Educate yourself and your community about the impacts of the big, ugly bill.
This law slashes health care, food assistance, higher education funding and more to further enrich the top 10% of this country. Many of the most harmful provisions don’t go into effect until after November 2026. That’s by design to hide how harmful these cuts will be.
2. Hold members of Congress accountable for their vote.
See how your member of Congress voted (Senate and House). Attend your legislators’ town halls. Call and email their offices. Share your outrage against those who voted for it. Thank those who fought against it and urge them to continue fighting for robust funding for basic needs programs.
3. Activate around upcoming funding fights and legislative fixes.
Congress will be voting for its annual appropriations bills before the federal government funding deadline at the end of September. Here’s a backgrounder on the budget and appropriations process. Reach out to your elected officials and urge them to fight for the funding that impacts your community. Support bills that would undo harms.
4. Urge your state and local lawmakers to fully fund basic needs programs and explore local solutions.
Many states will be reevaluating their state budgets as a consequence of the “One Big Ugly Bill Act.” We should urge states to fully fund and supplement funding to prevent cuts to basic needs programs. We should still encourage states to implement Medicaid expansion and Summer EBT funding because we know these programs work to keep people healthy and children fed. We should explore local solutions to fill the gap.
5. Stop or slow down the implementation of harmful provisions.
Many of these harmful provisions require federal agencies to update their regulations. You can submit comments detailing your experiences and potential negative impacts on your community to help slow down and prevent, for example, some of the harms from the Medicaid work reporting requirements or time limits and work reporting requirements for housing assistance programs. Also, because many of the most harmful provisions don’t begin until after November 2026, there is an opportunity to restore programs under different congressional leadership.
Together we can fight for a future that reflects our core values and priorities.
Theresa Lau is the senior policy counsel for eradicating poverty at the Southern Poverty Law Center and SPLC Action Fund.
Image at top: U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson signs the One Big Beautiful Bill Act during a ceremony with fellow Republicans at the U.S. Capitol on July 3, 2025. (Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)