Weekly Newsletter, 7.14.25
After Republicans rammed through permanent tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy at the expense of the poor and middle class, I heard from so many constituents concerned about what the Big Ugly Bill will mean for our healthcare system, food assistance, and state and local budgets. As President Trump signed the bill into law on July 4th, I joined CNN to talk about its impact on Virginia, particularly our state budget.
In the coming months, and in some cases years, all Virginians will feel the consequences — from rising health care and energy costs, rural hospitals pushed to the brink, clean energy jobs and environmental protections wiped out in favor of polluters and special interests and more.
Over the next several weeks, I will highlight just how this Frankenstein’s Monster of a bill will impact you and our communities.
MEDICAID CUTS PUT RURAL HOSPITALS AT RISK
From the beginning, I have raised the alarm about how steep Medicaid cuts will wreak havoc on our health care system, particularly in rural communities. The new burdensome paperwork requirements in the Big Ugly Bill alone could rip health insurance away from almost 400,000 Virginians, undercutting the progress made under Medicaid expansion. Now law, the Big Ugly Bill goes even farther, stripping an estimated $1 trillion from Medicaid over 10 years and health insurance from 17 million people. By limiting the state's ability to pay their share of Medicaid costs through provider taxes, jeopardizes Medicaid expansion and our rural hospitals.
Thursday, I joined Chair of the Virginia Senate Education and Health Committee Ghazala Hashmi, Protect Our Care, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Virginia State Council, and the Committee to Protect Health Care to break down what’s at stake for rural hospitals in Virginia.
You can watch the full press conference below.
An analysis conducted by Senate Democrats identified 338 rural hospitals — at least six in Virginia — at risk due to substantial cuts to Medicaid or Medicare payments. The list includes the Southern Virginia Regional Medical Center in Emporia, without which residents would have to drive almost an hour to Petersburg or into North Carolina for care.
Over the next 10 years, rural area hospitals in Virginia are at risk of losing almost $7 billion in federal Medicaid funding. Simultaneously, health care workers will lose their jobs, leading to higher unemployment and less health care workers who can provide care. Republicans claim the bill’s Rural Health Transformation Fund will provide relief for rural hospitals, but the $50 billion in the fund doesn’t account for even a third of the $155 billion that rural area hospitals will lose from Medicaid cuts.
I won’t give up fighting for the rural hospitals, free clinics and Virginians that will be affected by these policies. I will continue to amplify the voices and stories of my constituents and Virginians across the Commonwealth to show the real impacts the Big Ugly Bill will have on Americans now that it is law.
REPUBLICANS’ BIG UGLY BILL: A BRUTAL BLOW TO OUR CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE
As I wrote earlier this year, we must leverage every available energy source, including clean energy and energy efficiency technologies, to meet the needs of today and tomorrow affordably. Yet the Big Ugly Bill will raise utility bills and kill clean energy jobs by slashing critical clean energy programs that were already lowering costs for customers across the country.
It Raises Utility Bills.
In 2022, Congressional Democrats took historic action to invest billions into clean energy technologies to meet our growing needs and make them more accessible to American families through clean energy tax credits. These provisions, laid out in the Inflation Reduction Act, aimed to encourage the purchase of electric vehicles (EVs), home energy efficiency technologies, and support businesses that invest in clean energy investments like solar, wind, energy storage and other renewable energy projects. By repealing these provisions, the Big Ugly Bill will raise energy costs by an average of $400 per year. Overall, the energy-related provisions of the bill could increase average annual electricity costs by $110 per household as early as next year.
Seniors and low-income households — who already struggle with high utility bills — will be hit hardest, especially as this bill guts energy assistance programs that help them stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
It Kills American Jobs.
Clean energy is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the U.S. economy, creating high-paying jobs in every corner of the country. Thanks to the landmark Virginia Clean Economy Act I led as a state senator in 2020, Virginia is the clean energy capital of the South. But the Big Ugly Bill is projected to eliminate more than 840,000 jobs in the next five years and nearly 790,000 more over the next decade. That’s over 1.6 million clean energy jobs lost — all to pad the profits of fossil fuel CEOs and corporate polluters. The destruction of these jobs will have profound impacts on working families, our local economies and our long-term opportunities as a Commonwealth.
It Turns a Blind Eye to the Climate Crisis.
The Inflation Reduction Act was the single largest investment we’ve made in this country to tackle the climate crisis, and the Big Ugly Bill repeals nearly every environmental investment we made.
We’ve seen increasingly frequent and worsening climate disasters fueled by climate change, yet this bill slashes funding for wildfire prevention and eliminates resilience programs that help communities prepare for floods, storms, and heatwaves.
The bottom line: Republicans’ “Big Ugly Bill” sells out American jobs, wallets, and health to please Big Oil and billionaires.
When faced with the choice to protect the American people or reward wealthy donors.
They chose the polluters. Again.
I won’t stop fighting to defend our environment, lower costs for Virginia families, and keep building a clean energy economy that works for everyone — not just the well-connected.
MY BRIGHT SPOT
This past Saturday, I had the honor of joining the Baptist Center of Virginia’s 78th Annual Founder’s Day Celebration in my hometown of Matoaca.
Since opening its doors in 1947 as an orphanage for Black children, the Center has grown into a pillar of support for children and families too often overlooked, offering care that nurtures both the body and spirit.
For nearly eight decades, the Baptist Center’s work has served as a powerful testament to what faith-driven service can accomplish. After long, difficult weeks in Washington, it’s a true joy to spend time with people who are still rolling up their sleeves and working to lift up their neighbors at a time when community engagement is critically important.
REMINDERS
On Wednesday, July 30, I’ll be hosting a senior-focused town hall in collaboration with the Chesterfield County Office of Aging and Disability Resources! This is an opportunity for senior members of our community to meet with me, share their stories, and ask any questions they may have about what’s happening in Washington.
To be a part of this conversation, join me at 1:30 PM at the Meadowdale Library in Chesterfield. You can RSVP for the event here. RSVPs are encouraged but not required.
My Congressional App Challenge is also still accepting submissions! The deadline for submission is October 30, 2025.