Wasteful according to who?

Sanctuary Dispatch | Tuesday Reflections from the Wild Path

The Soft Rebellion

Wasteful according to who?

I’m not an economist.

I’m not a policy expert.

I’m just a woman watching what’s happening and feeling like I’m losing my breath.

The "big, beautiful bill", Trump's tax and spending bill, just scraped through the House—215 to 214. And now it heads to the Senate.

They say it’s about cutting waste. They say it’s about balancing the budget. They say it’s about protecting the American people.

But here’s what it actually does:

• Takes food off children’s plates. By restructuring programs like school lunches into block grants, it risks reducing support over time—fewer meals, more hungry kids. 

• Pushes sick people further from care. With Medicaid cuts and increased barriers, millions could lose access to life-saving healthcare. 

• Makes housing even more unstable. Cuts to rental assistance and housing support will push more families to the edge of homelessness. 

• Slashes environmental protections. Rolling back clean energy initiatives and community investment, even as climate crises worsen. 

• Raises taxes on the working class over time. While the wealthiest Americans get more breaks, many others will eventually pay more. 

• Defunds community programs. From job training to elder care, programs that help people survive and contribute are left to wither.

And it adds nearly $4 trillion to the national deficit. All while claiming to be about fiscal responsibility. 

That’s not reform. That’s robbery.

It’s taking from those who already have the least—and handing it to those who never needed it in the first place.

• Massive tax breaks for the rich. Expansions to Trump-era tax cuts mean millionaires and billionaires get even more of a windfall. 

• Loopholes for corporations. Big businesses stand to gain from deregulation and preferential treatment, all while paying less into the system that supports us all. 

• Lavish federal contracts. More money funneled into defense and private contracting—profiting the few at the expense of public good. 

• Wealth protection. Adjustments to estate taxes and deduction caps ensure that generational wealth stays locked in the hands of the already-powerful. 

• No accountability. While poor and working-class people are scrutinized for “waste” and “fraud,” billion-dollar tax dodging remains untouched.

And yet we’re supposed to believe the problem is poor people scamming the system?

I’m furious.

Furious that anyone could look at a child who depends on school lunch and say, “Sorry, not this year.”

Furious that people who voted for this mess might not wake up until it hits them directly.

Furious that those who didn’t vote for any of this still have to suffer the fallout.

And where are the voices of courage?

This bill isn’t about numbers. It’s about values.

Budgets are moral documents.

And this one tells a clear story about who is seen, who is served, and who is sacrificed.

But this story isn’t finished yet.

The Senate vote is still to come. There’s a possibility that it can be stopped with a few more voices. A little more courage. A ripple of pressure.

So if you’re feeling the fire too:

• Call your Senators (especially in Republican states)

• Share your story.

• Speak the truth. Even if your voice shakes.

This country is already hard to live in for so many. We don’t need to make it harder. We need to make it more human.

Let’s remind them that we value people. Let’s remind them that we’re paying attention. And let’s remind each other that rage can be sacred—if we let it move us toward something better.

With fury and fierce hope,

Michele

Guardian of the Wild Path