Democrats warn of bad consequences for New York under Trump's 'big, beautiful' budget bill

ALBANY — State Democratic leaders united Monday to push back against President Donald Trump’s "big, beautiful" budget bill, saying it would cut $13.5 billion in annual funding from New York’s health care system and leave 1.5 million New Yorkers uninsured.

Democrats, who hold a majority in the state Senate and Assembly, held a news conference calling on Republican members of the U.S. Senate to oppose the omnibus spending bill and asking voters to reach out to their representatives and urge them to do the same.

"It should have actually been called ‘One Big Disgusting Act,’ ” Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) said at the news conference, standing with Democratic state lawmakers. "This is devastating to New York, and this bill will further make emergency room waits even longer, make it harder for people to see doctors, restrict access to lifesaving medication, result in a loss of health care-related jobs and increase costs to New Yorkers who are already struggling to make ends meet."

Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday morning released data warning of increased insurance premium costs of more than $228 on average per month for couples as a result of the bill. 

Republicans say the 1,000-plus-page bill, named "One Big Beautiful Act" after the president’s catchphrase, not only reduces wasteful and fraudulent spending, but also would boost the economy.

The bill, packed with Trump priorities, aims to preserve an estimated $4.5 trillion in tax cuts from Trump’s first term that otherwise are set to expire, cuts spending to programs including Medicaid and food assistance and provides funding for Republican priorities such as border security. The proposed spending plan was narrowly passed by the House of Representatives on May 22. It's estimated to add about $2.4 trillion to the federal government’s debt over the next decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office’s analysis.

The bill "isn't just bad policy, it's a direct attack on middle-class families. It slashes education funding, guts health care programs and threatens the future of social security," State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) said at the news conference. "I don’t think anybody is opposed to looking at waste, fraud and abuse. What we are opposed to is taking a chain saw to people’s health care and their benefits and their safety net and pretending that they are somehow targeting waste, fraud and abuse."

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-Schuylerville), who was in Albany at an unrelated news conference, defended the bill when asked by reporters to respond to the state legislative leaders’ comments.

"What we believe, as Republicans in Washington, is that we should strengthen Medicaid, get rid of the waste, fraud and abuse which are rampant ... and not fund these programs for illegals," she said, adding that the programs cut serve immigrants who are in the country illegally. "Instead we want to improve Medicaid for New Yorkers who qualify."

Stefanik, when asked about potential cuts to New York, said those were "false talking points," adding that the spending plan would improve programs including Medicaid for qualifying New Yorkers.

The spending bill will now head to the U.S. Senate for consideration. Republicans are aiming to pass the bill along partisan lines through a reconciliation process, allowing them to pass the budget with a simple majority and avoid a filibuster.