The so-called Big Beautiful Bill should be called the Big Unread Bill. It may also be a poison pill for state legitimacy.
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Back in 1963, Americans trusted The State about pretty much everything. Then things changed. The Bay of Pigs, Vietnam, a string of assassinations - JFK, MLK, and RFK - followed by Watergate, spread distrust.
That culture of skepticism has only grown since then. Consider these recent examples of distrust magnification...
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The financial crisis
In 2008, the financial crisis and the political handling thereof caused huge dissatisfaction. The fat cats got bailed out while the poor and middle class lost their homes. This gave rise to the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street movements. They petered out, but that only deepened the dissatisfaction and suspicion.
Draining the swamp
Then came Donald Trump, promising to drain the swamp. Instead, the swamp deepened, and trust drained with it. Yes, excuses could be made (and were made), but no one could deny the lack of fundamental change.
The pandemic
Then came the state-created COVID pandemic. The useless distancing, and even more useless masks. Mandates and shutdowns. The distrust became epic. The ironic reaction was the reelection of Donald Trump, with more promises to drain the swamp.
Trump Again
Initially, there were some encouraging signs of Downsizing DC. But after just six months, some people who were cheering are now quiet. Now, Donald Trump is calling for budgets and deficits that are bigger than Joe Biden's.
Elon Musk and The Big Beautiful Bill
We may someday look back and think the so-called Big Beautiful Bill (BBB) was another milestone on the road to complete public distrust.
The BBB is so bad that it may have cost Trump his biggest supporter, Elon Musk. Musk has been hyper-critical of the bill. He must surely feel like it completely undermines the good he was able to do with DOGE. The libertarians in Congress, Rand Paul and Thomas Massie, are also remaining staunchly opposed to the bill.
Nebraska Representative Mike Flood
House members are admitting that they didn't read the bill, and they're upset to learn its contents.
Representative Mike Flood (R, Nebraska) had to admit, to a hostile crowd, that he did not know the BBB contained a provision that prohibits judges from enforcing their rulings with contempt citations. Flood said he opposed that provision. He said he didn't know about it because House leaders allowed too little time to read the bill. Flood claims he called colleagues in the Senate, asking them to remove the provision. But the "failure to read" revolt against BBB doesn't end there.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene also admits she didn’t read the bill
Greene (R-GA) says she wishes she had voted against the BBB. The bill includes a provision that blocks state regulation of AI for ten years. Greene claims she was not aware of the provision. She opposes it.
The Democrats, of course, responded with hypocritical outrage. Remember these quotes, because you can be sure these politicians have voted for bills they didn't read or fully support, and that they will do so again.
- Rep. Eric Swalwell wrote to Greene: “You have one job. To. Read. The. F**king. Bill,”
- Rep. Ted Lieu claims he had read the AI provision and “that’s one reason I voted no on the GOP’s big, ugly bill.” Do you believe him? He also wrote, “PRO TIP: It’s helpful to read stuff before voting on it.” Do you believe he always does that?
- Representative Mark Pocan was more hostile. “Read the f**king bill instead of clapping for it like a performing monkey. You should have done your job while it was written. You didn’t. You own that vote.”
These words of anger might be heartening if these representatives really intended to live by what they preach. As it stands, even their protests will serve to increase distrust in the present order. We can trust neither the Republicans who gave us the BBB, nor the Democrats who opposed it.
So what can we do?
We can pressure the politicians to pass our Read the Bills Act. That will force them to do what they claim they want to do. To be a part of this change, join The 300 in your district to compel your reps to co-sponsor the Read the Bills Act.
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Please also contribute or start a monthly pledge.
Set your own agenda,
Jim Babka, President
Agenda Setters by Downsize DC
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