Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen
“Overnight, the Senate radically altered its Big Beautiful Bill, zeroing in on one state and one Senator in an attempt to buy her vote. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) expressed several concerns about the Medicaid and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps) cuts to the bill. A joint op-ed from the legislative leadership in Alaska in The New York Times explained that 40,000 residents would lose health coverage and thousands more would lose SNAP benefits. ‘The shift in costs from the federal government to the state will plunge our budget into a severe deficit, cripple our state economy and make it harder to provide basic services,’ state House Speaker Bryce Edgmon and state Senate Majority Leader Cathy Giessel wrote. The changes to the latest text made to attract support from moderate concerned about the deep nature of the budget cuts were largely performative.” (06/28/25)