Big, BRUTiful Bill

July 7, 2025

A few months ago, I had a severe toothache. It was the kind of toothache that made my face throb. I had a terrible headache for days on end, and it was difficult for me to eat. I surely needed medical help, and right away. And since I’m a United States Army Veteran, I turned to my VA Clinic for help. When I called to inquire about what to do, and how to schedule, the Veterans Representative reply was, “the VA only provides scheduling with the Dental Clinic, for Veterans with a 100% service connected disability.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! It made me think I need to make an appointment under my Medi-Cal coverage. Medi-Cal is medical coverage obtained by persons & families living at, or below poverty level, in the state of California - Many of whom qualify for, and receive food stamps - also known as SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

On July 3, 2025, President Trump passed The Big Beautiful Bill. This bill includes cuts to food stamps, estimated at $1.2 trillion, and specifically cuts federal funding for SNAP by $285 billion. States will also be required to shoulder costs at a higher rate than previously responsible for. The bill also imposes new work requirements, at an 80 hours per month stipulation, for able-bodied adults within the outlined age range of 18 - 65. The Big Brutiful Bill limits future increases to the Thrifty Food Plan, which determines SNAP benefit amounts, potentially causing benefits to grow at a slower rate than food costs. It also changes how utility expenses are calculated, which may lead to reductions in benefit amounts to about 600,000 households. 

This bill also creates significant cuts to Medi-Cal, by at least 28.4 billion dollars, in the state of California, with employment requirements for “able-bodied” adults at a rate of 80 hours per month, which could lead to millions of people losing their health coverage. If my Medi-Cal were to be cut, I don’t know what I’ll do if I were to ever need dental care again. When I had that toothache, it was already difficult finding a dentist or a dentist's office to help me, as there was only one endodontist listed as “accepting new Medi-Cal patients” in the city of Oakland. This bill isn’t beautiful, it’s brutiful. It’s an act of violence to all poor, houseless, disabled people, including children and elderly who rely on SNAP and Medi-Cal. This bill allows for significant tax-cuts for the wealthy, which is essentially funded, or paid into, by the poor. It allows for nearly sixty percent of the benefits of this bill being directed to the “elite,” or the “top” twenty percent of the population.  

As a woman, United States Army Veteran who lives below poverty level, I’m grateful to be part of a revolutionary movement. The project called Homefulness at POOR Magazine, provides access to The POOR People's Clinic where I can be seen by a Medical Doctor, Chiropractor, Existential Therapist, 5-Point Acupuncture, Sound Therapy, and many other modes of healing that is often invalidated by the medical-industrial-complex. It’s one of the many ways communities can think, and enact ways of healing, and supporting one-another, that isn’t rooted in dependence on the current system of government.  It’s what the Co-Founder of POOR Magazine, Lisa “Tiny” Gray-Garcia calls, “Interdependence,” which is a reference to Indigenous Ways of Knowing, and providing love, and support to one another in our communities. It’s a nod to the ancient, cultural practices historically demonized by the White, patriarchal stomping out of, natural care and remedies, created and provided by women.