by Peter Hall, Pennsylvania Capital-Star
May 22, 2025
All ten Pennsylvania Republicans voted in support of the massive tax and spending bill that passed the U.S. House early Thursday morning, touting the tax relief, border security and support for working families they said it would provide.
The U.S. Capitol is pictured on Feb. 25, 2025. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)
Democrats, including seven in the state’s delegation, unanimously opposed it. They decried the budget’s cuts to Medicaid and food assistance, deficit spending and tax cuts for the ultra wealthy, which Rep. Summer Lee (D-12th District) described as dangerous, “undemocratic and unjust.”
“I voted no. There’s nothing beautiful about a bill that forces families to choose between taking their kids to the doctor or feeding them,” Lee said. “We will continue organizing, pushing, and holding every policymaker accountable until the needs of working people are prioritized over profits.”
But one moderate Pennsylvania Republican said he would keep working to improve the bill.
“As this process proceeds, I will be working closely with the Senate to make constructive changes to this bill, specifically in the energy, workforce, and health portions of the bill so we can strengthen SNAP and Medicaid solvency for the long-term and ensure access for the most vulnerable that truly need assistance,” Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-1st District) said. “This will be a red line for me before supporting final passage.”
His office did not respond to the Capital-Star’s request for additional details.
The budget reconciliation, dubbed the “Big, Beautiful Bill” by Republican leaders, passed by a vote of 215-214, with two Republicans, Ohio’s Warren Davidson and Kentucky’s Thomas Massie, opposed. It will now go to the Senate, where Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said House Republicans will work with their Senate counterparts toward a goal of winning approval in the upper chamber and getting the bill to President Donald Trump’s desk by July 4.
The 1,116-page omnibus combines 11 bills that GOP lawmakers voted out of committee this spring.
Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro said the budget, as it stands, would have a “very real impact” on Pennsylvanians.
“This morning, every single Republican member of Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation voted to cut healthcare and food assistance from hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians and speed up the closure of dozens of rural hospitals across our Commonwealth – all while increasing our national deficit by $2.3 trillion,” Shapiro said in a statement.
Other Democrats, including Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-4th District), said the deficit would balloon even higher. “Today, House Republicans passed a bill that sacrifices critical programs for millions of everyday Americans to pay for another tax cut for the rich, blowing up the deficit by an estimated $5 trillion in service of the President’s cruel, corrupt purposes,” Dean said in a statement.
Cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program would shift $1 billion in food assistance costs to the state, putting benefits for 140,000 people in question. More than 300,000 Pennsylvanians could lose Medicaid benefits, rolling back efforts to reduce the number of uninsured people and increasing the cost of health care for everyone, Shapiro’s statement said.
And the cuts to Medicaid could hurt 25 rural hospitals across the state that are already financially struggling and rely on the medical assistance program, increasing the likelihood they could close.
“Any lawmaker in D.C. who thinks the commonwealth can backfill this massive hole they’ve created is wrong – and these cuts will have real-life consequences for Pennsylvanians. As this heads to the Senate for a vote, I hope common sense and a concern for the people of Pennsylvania will prevail,” Shapiro said.
Republican members of Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation highlighted the bill’s provisions to advance the Trump administration’s priorities.
“After years of wide-open borders, uncontrolled inflation, and government spending run amok, this budget finally addresses the needs of our community and our country,” Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-7th District) said.
H.R. 1 would provide $69 billion to complete border barriers, hire more Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, expand deportation capacity and stop drug and human trafficking at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Although it includes deep cuts to Medicaid spending, reducing the program by $625 billion over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office, Republicans including Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R-8th District) said the bill would protect the program and ensure tax dollars are used prudently.
“During this process, I fought to protect social safety net programs from the waste, fraud, and abuse that have threatened their long-term solvency. By ensuring states are not using Medicaid dollars on illegal aliens, conducting more frequent eligibility checks, and requiring work for able-bodied recipients … we are securing Medicaid for those who truly need it,” Bresnahan said in a statement.
He noted the Medicaid work requirements exempt children and seniors, pregnant women, students, disabled veterans and those with medical conditions including mental health and substance use disorders.
Rep. Dan Meuser (R-9th District) touted the bill’s benefits for businesses and working families that would help improve the nation’s economy.
“Passing this bill will increase production so supply better meets demand, thereby reducing inflation. And with lower inflation comes lower interest rates, which leads to greater investment and more American production,” he said in a statement.
The legislation would eliminate tax on tips and overtime – among Trump’s populist campaign promises – expand the child tax credit from $2,000, and establish savings accounts for newborns.
It would also extend provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to benefit manufacturers and small businesses by allowing them to write off research and development costs and bonuses and expanding the small business deduction to 23%, Meuser’s office said.
Pennsylvania Capital-Star is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Pennsylvania Capital-Star maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Tim Lambert for questions: info@penncapital-star.com.
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