On July 4 last year, Republicans celebrated passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). Our own Rep. Andy Harris called the bill “a win for Maryland.” Instead, the OBBBA will worsen life for Maryland residents and millions nationwide.
Republicans designed the OBBBA so the serious cuts to the social safety net wouldn’t start until after the 2026 elections. The cuts to essential social programs begin on New Year’s Day, 2027 — months after voters get their say. Supposedly, delaying cuts would protect Republican incumbents, like Andy Harris, from voters angry that their lives got much worse. The gambit worked to some extent. Mainstream news outlets are ignoring forthcoming public suffering.
You wouldn’t guess Andy Harris is a medical professional given the cuts he backed. The OBBBA attacks Americans’ health and well-being in two main ways: it denies people access to health care, and it cuts their access to food. Both will bring disastrous consequences. Harris once swore a medical oath disavowing harmful action toward individuals. In voting for the OBBBA, he violated that oath.
The OBBBA will strip roughly 7.5 million Americans of health insurance. In Maryland alone, over 660,000 children will lose coverage. Only Andy Harris could call that “a big win for Maryland.” In Talbot County, nearly 10,000 people — including children — will lose insurance.
Harris apparently doesn’t worry about lower-income children who cruelly won’t have access to medical care. He might argue that emergency rooms can treat sick and dying children. Pushing millions of Americans into emergency rooms for basic care will further strain our faltering healthcare system. Rural hospitals are already closing expecting the losses they will suffer under the OBBBA.
If loss of health insurance were not bad enough, the OBBBA also cuts SNAP benefits, which finance food for low-income people. The Congressional Budget Office reports the OBBBA mandates an $186 billion cut to food benefits over ten years. Yet Harris enthusiastically supports a reduction in food benefits for Marylanders.
SNAP covers fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, and dairy — the foods people need to stay healthy. Right-wing media sometimes falsely claims that SNAP covers candy, meals at McDonald’s, and even alcohol and tobacco products. That is a lie spread to undermine the program that feeds low-income families.
Even if you don’t receive SNAP benefits, this “big win for Maryland” will still reach you. Maryland’s share of SNAP administration costs will rise from 50% to 75% under the OBBBA. This unfunded mandate hits all Maryland.
The OBBBA does include some immediate benefits. Some people got lower tax bills this year. But those are offset by rising costs for gas, energy, and food. Wage-earning Americans are losing economic ground to inflation, and the OBBBA did nothing to stop that.
The OBBBA’s economic benefits were skewed toward the richest 1% of Americans, who received $121 billion in tax breaks — more than twice what the middle class received. Maryland has an estimated 25,000–30,000 residents in that top 1%, representing less than 0.5% of the state’s population. Up to 660,000 Maryland children will lose health insurance help pay for the largest tax breaks for 25,000–30,000 Marylanders.
The worst economic fallout is still ahead. Andy Harris once wrote: “America cannot continue spending money we don’t have… President Obama needs to get serious about the debt being left to our children.” That statement now sounds hypocritical, since Harris backs Trump’s deficit spending. After all the puts and takes, the OBBBA will add $4.1 trillion to the national debt — before accounting for Trump’s demand for an unfunded $1.5 trillion for the Iran war and defense stockpile rebuilding. With Andy’s help, Trump is bankrupting America. That’s not a big win for Maryland.
We don’t need to wait until next year to see the OBBBA’s devastating effects. Vote for Dan Schwartz — the choice that’s good for Maryland and America.
Michael Davis lives in Easton and is a member of the Talbot County Democratic Forum
10 Responses
Michael, you are spot on. The Big Ugly Bill is a Trojan Horse with the GOP gang purposely lying about the devastating effects it will have on millions of average Americans. Andy Harris has been bought and paid for and is not representing his constituents or the USA through his words, actions or votes. In November, I hope Andy is sent packing. Dan Schwartz is a moderate voice of reason and will be very responsive to the people, all the people. Andy, you had your chance and you’ve shown us that you care more about the Freedom Caucus and campaigning in Hungary than you do about the people here in District 1. Shame on you, you could have done good by us, but you chose not to.
I am sure Mr. Harris will respond accordingly to this opinion piece. ………. Hah … just joking!
I am sure he will have a debate with the democratic candidate before the upcoming election to hash out these issues. Hah .. gotch’ again.
I disagree with the state’s efforts to redistrict him out. my only hope is that residents will realize that he should go.
“ first , do no harm”
Isn’t that a part of a physician’s creed?
Andy has failed to live up to that oath.
It’s time for change.
The OBBBA’s safety net reforms address real problems. SNAP and Medicaid have ballooned with waste and improper payments, and delaying cuts until after the 2026 elections gives states time to adjust, not hide from voters. On healthcare, the 7.5 million coverage loss figure assumes states won’t adapt or find savings; many will. Rural hospitals face deeper issues than just this bill. The tax cuts aren’t just for the rich; they spur investment and growth that benefits everyone, and the top 1% already pays over 40% of federal income taxes. The $4.1 trillion debt add-on ignores dynamic scoring and growth effects that could offset much of it. Harris’s past concerns about debt were valid then and now; this bill pairs spending restraint with pro-growth policies, unlike endless Democratic deficits. It’s a necessary correction, not a betrayal.
This is all trickle-down nonsense that has been proven time and again to be spurious. We don’t buy it.
Sounds like someone is drinking the kool-aid, as it were. The cost of everything is out of control with no end in sight. The fact that so many people NEED snap and medicaid is due to the economy. Why punish kids, the disabled and elderly because our government can’t prioritize spending beyond the wars and tacky “extreme makeoves” of DC??
I hope this is sarcasm on your part, sir, but I’m afraid you’re serious.
Don’t know where you are getting your information from but it is incorrect. Taxes paid by the top 1% are now less than most middle class earners due to OBBA’s tax breaks for them. Income Tax vs. Total Tax: While the top 1% pays the largest share of income taxes, their share of all federal taxes (including payroll and excise taxes) sits lower, at roughly 25%. This is because payroll taxes hit lower-income and middle-income workers at higher proportional rates.The Ultra-Wealthy Exception: There is a distinct difference between high-earning professionals (like doctors or corporate lawyers in the top 1%) and billionaires. The wealthiest individuals often rely on unsold investments rather than traditional income, meaning their effective wealth-to-tax ratio can be significantly lower. In many cases this is 0%, Meaning they pay no Taxes.
My questions for Harris are:
“Why are you not protecting us from fraud and scams?”
“Why have you allowed this administration to neuter the Consumer Financial Protection Agency when we need it most?”
“Why are you supporting tariffs and not protecting our farmers from spiraling input costs?”
“Why are you even running for re-election after you promised to only serve limited terms?”
I do not agree with redistricting. Vote Harris out of office.
Andy ‘Handgun Harris’ is a MAGA Trump puppet, nothing more. Useless representative. He appears before an election then vanishes again for 6 years. Why would anyone vote for him?