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US President Donald Trump has been in headlines now for his "Big Beautiful Bill" that barely passed the House of Representatives last month. Now, several celebrities, including Scarlett Johansson, Matt Damon, and Zayn Malik have signed an open letter to the president opposing the proposed cuts in the bill, particularly the cuts in SNAP and Medicaid.
The open letter was published on Wednesday, June 25, by the nonprofit organization Feeding America. Explaining the significance of SNAP and Medicaid, the bill read:
"Millions of people in this country, including an estimated 15.5 million children and 7.2 million seniors, rely on programs like [SNAP] and Medicaid to make ends meet."
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For the unversed, SNAP or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is a federal nutrition assistance program that is controlled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). According to this program, eligible individuals would get a certain monthly balance on their EBT card that they could use to buy necessary items.
Previously known as the Food Stamp Program, SNAP has reportedly become one of the biggest anti-hunger initiatives across the nation. As per the Center on Budget and Policy (CBPP) Priorities, in 2024, about 41 million people from the low-income strata monthly, managed to secure food under this program.
CBPP further clarified that every SNAP participant would receive an estimated amount of $187 per month in fiscal year 2025. Apart from the aforementioned celebrities a lot of others had signed the open letter to the Congress. The list included:
- Adina Porter,
- Alan Cumming,
- Bianca Lawson,
- Chrishell Stause,
- Connie Britton,
- Dan Bucatinsky,
- Danielle Brooks,
- Daniella Pineda,
- David Arquette,
- Don Johnson,
- Karen Pittman,
- Kelvin Beachum,
- Lana Parrilla,
- Liev Schreiber,
- Liza Colón-Zayas,
- Michael Chiklis,
- Michelle Williams,
- Minka Kelly,
- Nancy Travis,
- Paul Scheer,
- Ron Pope,
- Rosario Dawson,
- Ryan Eggold,
- Samantha Harris,
- Sheryl Crow and
- Zoey Deutch.
Everything to know about Donald Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill"
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has confirmed that Donald Trump was trying his best to ensure that the "Big Beautiful Bill" got signed by July 4, 2025. Leavitt made this statement on Thursday, June 26, at a press conference, as per reports by KHQA. She stated:
"The president is adamant to have that bill on his desk by Independence Day."
She continued by mentioning that the president had been busy talking to senators on phone calls and in meetings, to hurry the process of signing up. To emphasize her point, Leavitt said that the president was even holding discussions in the middle of the meetings about airstrikes in Iran and his NATO visit.
The White House Press Secretary further revealed that Trump would be present for an event known as the "One, Big, Beautiful Event." According to her, the purpose of the event was for lawmakers and common people to understand how the bill would be effective and beneficial for them. In a social media post reported by Financial Express, Donald Trump wrote:
"To my friends in the Senate, lock yourself in a room if you must, don’t go home, and GET THE DEAL DONE THIS WEEK... NO ONE GOES ON VACATION UNTIL IT’S DONE."
According to the outlet, the method of getting the bill processed had not been smooth, since the Senate parliamentarian suggested that many proposals in it were violating the procedural rules. Senate Republicans, too, had differences in opinions regarding many proposals of the bill, particularly the cuts.
While some were in favor of keeping the social programs like Medicaid intact, others wanted more rigorous cuts in them. Senators like Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Tom Tillis, Josh Hawley, and Rand Paul had opposed the bill.
According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, Medicaid has been described as a joint federal and state program. The purpose of this initiative was to cover the medical expenses of people in low-income groups.
Why did many Senators oppose the cuts in the bill proposed by Trump?
There had been clashes in opinions regarding Donald Trump's "Big, Beautiful Bill" amongst the senators. While some of them thought that it would adversely impact the rural population of their state, others believed it would increase the national debt.
Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski stated that they wouldn't want to make such cuts in the Medicaid program that proved to be beneficial to so many people from the low-income group. Meanwhile, Senator Tom Tillis expressed concern that the bill might just shut down rural hospitals in his state.
Senator Rand Paul, a Libertarian, stated that he wasn't in favor of the bill as he believed it would lead to a rise in the national debt. Labor unions, too, had reportedly been raising their voices against the bill. People across the country are now eager to witness the fate of Trump's bill as well as of the social programs.
