COLUMN: Details, details, details

When worrying about details, my daughter heard me say, “Can’t see it from an airplane,” and it applied to painting sets for plays not something that might matter. Knowing details do matter when completing projects like carpentry, sewing, health care decisions, insurance coverage, finances and taxes returns.

Mom reminded me as a teenager when negotiating curfew that “Nothing good happens after midnight.”

She was right!

Those phrases ring true for the political theatre we’ve observed in Washington, D.C. over the past 30 days.

Partisan Theatre á la Washington D.C. was on full display as the House and Senate navigate passage and discussion of “One Big Beautiful Bill.” House debate started at 1 a.m. on Wednesday, May 22 and was completed 23 hours later. The House version had more than 1000 pages passing on a purely partisan vote of 215-214. Numerous members voting for the legislation admitted publicly they didn’t read it and then tried to backtrack as constituent impact was revealed.

Whoops. . . Actions have consequences.

The Senate version was more than 900 pages. Senate Democrats required oral reading of the entire bill before debate was allowed and took about 16 hours in the Senate Chambers. Pity the Senate aides assigned the job in the hours after midnight. However, slowing down the process was good for Americans. Details emerged about the “One Big Beautiful Bill” (aka “Big Bad Bill”).

Detail: Identical bills weren’t proposed in both the House and Senate. If it passes the Senate, it returns to the House.

Let’s talk about more unnoticed details passed/proposed “after midnight.”

· The Senate bill cuts nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid, deeper cuts than the House bill had. Approximately 160,000 rural Iowans, the majority working, are covered by Medicaid. Employers aren’t required to offer insurance if they have less than 50 employees and/or the employee works less than 30 hours/week.

· New Medicaid eligibility rules and increased costs for dual Medicaid-Medicare enrollees. This impacts the elderly, too.

· It is estimated that the cuts to Medicaid will result in more than 10.9 million people being uninsured by 2034, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation and FactCheck.org.

· Establishes significant cuts and work requirements for SNAP programs impacting children, families and the elderly.

· Triples the budget for ICE and the president’s mass deportation effort.

· Congressional Budget Office warns that tax cuts for the wealthy triggers $500 billion in automatic Medicare cuts due to “PAYGO,” a budget rule that requires any reduction in revenue be offset by cuts in other areas of the budget.

· Rollbacks to clean energy tax incentives and climate protections.

· Limits a court’s ability to issue temporary restraining orders or preliminary injunctions.

· Establishes a national school voucher program diverting funding from public schools to private schools. Iowans know about that and how unpopular it was!

· Changes student loan access, protections and repayment options.

· Slashes funding for the Consumer Protection Bureau by nearly 70%.

· Raising the debt limit by $5 trillion dollars to fund tax breaks for billionaires.

What else might be buried in the bill to impact us like unexpected Zoomies?

It’s being done all in the dark of night and as quickly as possible. Medicaid and Medicare cuts will impact much of rural America. Rural Iowans already are faced with diminishing access to doctors, mental health professionals, OB/GYN care, mental health specific beds and care centers specifically equipped for memory care.

Call Senators Ernst and Grassley and Congressman Zach Nunn to voice your opposition to any version of the “Big Bad Bill” before it’s too late. It’s doubtful that any of the three have independently read the bill.

Most of us know people and families who are on Medicaid, Medicare or SNAP. Iowa’s school voucher program is hugely unpopular. This piece of legislation impacts people we know.

It increases the budget deficit to benefit the billionaires. By the way, Iowa only has one billionaire. Our senators and congressional representatives were elected to represent the interests of the constituents. Not just one guy!

No one makes wise choices after midnight not even our elected officials. Details!