Critics Say Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” Targets Nation’s Poorest, While Millions Who Could Be Impacted Don’t Vote
- Dave McCleary
- 19 hours ago
- 3 min read

A sweeping legislative package backed by President Donald Trump is drawing fire from advocates and policy analysts who say it will dramatically scale back social safety net programs that serve some of the country’s most vulnerable populations — many of whom are not showing up at the polls.
Dubbed the “Big Beautiful Bill” by Trump and his allies, the measure proposes deep cuts to Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and housing assistance, among other federally funded benefits. Supporters argue the bill is designed to reduce government spending and promote economic self-sufficiency, but critics warn the cuts could push millions deeper into poverty.
"The reality is that cuts will needlessly harm our country’s most vulnerable populations, people who need Medicaid and SNAP to live, including 44% of New York’s children currently relying on Medicaid for their health care, and 30% of New York’s children currently relying on SNAP for their meals, said the Children's Agenda, a Rochester, NY based child poverty advocacy group.
The irony is, many of these Americans don’t vote — even though their vote could dramatically shift the political landscape.
Studies have consistently shown that people receiving means-tested benefits — like food assistance, cash aid, and housing subsidies — vote at far lower rates than the general population. According to a 2023 analysis published in Urban Affairs Review, just 45% of public benefit recipients voted in the 2020 presidential election, compared to 84% of non-recipients.
The disparity is even starker in midterm and local elections, where turnout among low-income individuals has historically hovered around 30%. Experts cite a range of reasons: lack of time, mobility issues, disillusionment with government, and voter suppression measures such as strict ID laws.
There’s a feedback loop, noted James E. Campbell a Political Scientist from the University of Georgia. "They doubt anything they say or do will change the world for their benefit."
Campbell surmises that because low-income people don’t vote, policymakers feel less pressure to protect or expand benefits. And when benefits are cut, it reinforces the feeling that government doesn’t care — which further depresses turnout.
The “Big Beautiful Bill” cleared the Republican-led House and senate and was signed into law earlier this month by president Trump who calls the legislation “a return to common sense,” saying in a recent rally, “We’re going to stop handing out freebies to people who can work but won’t.”
But the Children's Agenda notes that work requirements for families who rely on Medicaid and SNAP for their health and meals do not work. "Experience in Arkansas and Georgia shows that work requirements do not result in more people working. Instead, they lead to huge increases in red tape and losses in coverage for working families."
But for single mother Tamika Lewis, who relies on SNAP and Section 8 housing to support her two children in Ohio, the bill feels like an attack.
“We’re not lazy. I work two jobs. I just don’t make enough to survive without help,” Lewis said. “But I never voted before. I didn’t think it mattered.”
Advocates say that mindset needs to change — and fast.
“If just a fraction more of these voters participated,” Campbell said, “we could be looking at an entirely different Congress and a very different future for programs that millions depend on.”
Rev. William Barber II is Co-chair of "The Poor People’s Campaign". His movement organizes and educates across low-income communities, working to link civic engagement—including voting—to issues such as poverty, housing, and health injustice.
“It is time for a resurrection and not an insurrection," Barber said. "We must engage poor and low‑wealth people to change the political landscape.”
But experts say getting the most vulnerable to the polls will require addressing a mix of structural barriers, social dynamics, and messaging challenges.
“When 140 million people are poor or low-income, and millions of them don't vote because no one has taken the time to speak to them, that’s political malpractice," Barber says. "It’s time to change that.”
Barber’s strategy to change the voting behavior of vulnerable populations focuses on: Moral-based, cross-issue coalitions, Empowering poor people as a political force, Training grassroots leaders, Faith-rooted activism and Sustained engagement--not one-off campaigns.
"It's less about persuading the poor to vote, and more about awakening and organizing them to recognize their own power."
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