This is a disaster already

As is typical with Donald Trump, the “mega-MAGA” bill will not enhance the lives of everyday people in this country. More likely, it will bring inflation and price hikes all because of Trump’s misguided belief that tariffs will make everything in the U.S. better. In fact, most of the items on Trump’s agenda will not benefit anyone, like finishing the border wall he started during his first term. His tax cuts were designed to benefit the rich, and there’s no reason to believe new tax cuts will do anything other than the same. Trump also promised to deport millions of immigrants, which some experts have said will cost $88 billion or more per year or more than $967.9 billion over 10 years (American Immigration Council). Even as Republicans whine and moan over the deficit, they will say nothing about the cost of this endeavor, and it’s not the only one planned.

Building the rest of the border wall will cost a fortune as well. Back in 2020, the Texas Tribune reported that the wall was already costing taxpayers billions of dollars. It didn’t help that the contracts kept changing, which also helped to increase costs. Why would it cost any less today? If anything, it’s going to cost more. The Texas Tribune, in concert with ProPublica, also reported that the use of “supplemental agreements,” which were to add additional work (and further increase the price) ending up being no-bid contracts that were handed out to companies that had donated to Trump and/or other Republicans. It’s obvious what’s going on here, though it’s nothing new. Republicans are using their offices to enrich themselves at exorbitant cost to taxpayers.

According to the Daily Beast, Trump plans to finance his projects by canceling green energy production so that he can do more gas and oil drilling (and more damage to the planet). According to Trump: “IT WILL ALL BE MADE UP IN TARIFFS, AND MUCH MORE, FROM COUNTRIES THAT HAVE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF THE U.S. FOR YEARS.” He is relying way too much on tariffs that experts say will, in addition to increasing inflation, cause prices to rise. Trump, of course, isn’t thinking of any of this because it won’t impact him, his family, and his wealthy friends. It will complete the destruction of the middle class, which appears to be what they want.

Johnson told Faux News that he plans to have this legislation on Trump’s desk by Memorial Day. He still thinks he has some kind pull, but other Republicans are leery. Surprisingly, the House Freedom Caucus is against one sweeping bill. They think the border security should be separate from the other issues. The new Senate Majority Leader John Thune seems to be skeptical of the bill as well. He said on Meet the Press: “Is it realistic to deport everybody? I mean, there’s a lot of people in this country who are here illegally.” Note that not one of them showed concern about what all this spending will do to the country. They’re simply falling in line as they always do.

Shirley Kennedy

Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years