Newark Activists Speak Out Against Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ At Rally Outside Federal Building

NEWARK, NJ — Several advocacy groups rallied at a federal building in Newark last week to decry the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” calling it an “insult to the community” that will harm low-income, immigrant and other marginalized U.S. residents.

The protest took place on Wednesday outside the Rodino Federal Building at 970 Broad Street (watch video footage below). Speakers said that the legislation will slash funding for essential services, including health care, food assistance and housing.

The bill – which saw major support from President Donald Trump – was signed into law on Independence Day. The spending plan survived a 51-50 vote in the Senate and a 218-214 vote in the House of Representatives.

• Read More: Booker, Kim Vote Against Senate Budget Bill, Trump Cheers Its Passage
• Read More: 'Big Beautiful Bill' Passed By House (What It Means In NJ)

The bill will extend Trump’s 2017 tax reforms, while cutting billions of dollars from the federal budget to help balance the books. Meanwhile, the bill will add trillions to the national debt, ramp up military spending and provide more money for deportations, prisons and border security.

The White House has called the bill a “a once-in-a-generation piece of legislation,” claiming that it will “strengthen” Medicaid by eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse and blocking undocumented immigrants from receiving benefits.

According to the Trump administration, the bill will also carve out tax cuts for middle- and working-class Americans, help to secure U.S. borders and “restore fiscal sanity by cutting $1.5 trillion in spending.”

Activists in Newark argue otherwise.

Groups that had a presence at last week’s protest included the Ironbound Community Corporation, the NAACP and the People’s Organization for Progress.

“This will affect everyone,” emphasized Hazel Applewhite, CEO of the Ironbound Community Corporation.

“It’s an insult to our community,” Applewhite said.

Instead of setting up systemic barriers, the federal government should be investing in “community-rooted solutions that promote equity and opportunity,” Applewhite argued.

Larry Hamm of the People’s Organization for Progress agreed.

“H.R. 1, the budget reconciliation bill, is called the ‘big, beautiful bill’ … In reality, it is a monstrosity,” charged Hamm, a former U.S. Senate candidate.

“Billionaires and millionaires may find it beautiful since it will increase their wealth,” Hamm said. “However, for the rest of us who will feel the pain of the social safety net cutbacks, it is a hideous and grotesque nightmare.”

• See Related: Sherrill, McIver, Menendez Jr. Vote Against Trump-Backed ‘Beautiful Bill’

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