President Trump’s State of the Union vs. the Real State of the Union
By Nishita Nekkanti, Congress Watch Advocacy Intern
During his State of the Union address, President Donald Trump stood before the American people and painted a picture of a country that is “bigger, better, richer, and stronger than ever before.” A nation where “inflation is plummeting, incomes are rising fast, [and] the roaring economy is roaring like never before.” These rosy descriptions, however, are built on nothing more than dramatized – sometimes entirely false – claims and unfulfilled promises.
For example, during the address he claimed that in one year he has “lifted 2.4 million Americans of off food stamps.” However, what his administration has truly done is cut $187 billion in funding to the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) and implement onerous and difficult to navigate work reporting requirements. Instead of lifting them out of need, the Trump administration will be ripping food out of the hands of those same 2.4 million Americans every month. These drastic cuts are projected to cause higher food insecurity in disadvantaged areas, leading to further health complications like increased risk of cardiometabolic disease and cognitive impairment.
In the speech, Trump also alleged that his administration is “bringing [costs] way down.” This directly contradicts the experience of Americans who are struggling to make ends meet. And, the affordability crisis is going to worsen as Americans are at risk of losing healthcare access, with a projected additional 100,000 hospitalizations annually due to “Big Ugly Law” (BUL) legislation (otherwise known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act) that cuts federal healthcare spending by more than $1 trillion.
In fact, in the entire address, he only mentioned the BUL in reference to his legislative tax agenda, stating that he has passed “the largest tax cuts in American history.” However, the BUL’s tax giveaways to the rich are deeply unpopular. And despite Republicans’ attempts to rebrand the package as pro-working families, the provisions on tipped and overtime wages are temporary—only in effect until 2028 —and are nothing more than a front to cover the money being funneled directly from vulnerable communities into the pockets of the ultra-wealthy class.
Families in the lowest income bracket ($24,000 annual income) will see a net loss of $1,200 per year, primarily due to the aforementioned spending reductions to Medicaid and SNAP. Meanwhile, people making over $1 million per year will see $114 billion in tax cuts overall for 2027 alone, with individuals seeing their taxes decrease by an average of $97,000.
To tell the real story regarding the current state of our union, Public Citizen co-sponsored two events to highlight the issues that are facing the American public: People’s State of the Union and The States(s) of the Union: For the People, Not Billionaires. During these events, everyday people gathered to express their frustration that billionaires and ultra-wealthy individuals received tax giveaways while they struggle to make ends meet day after day. They shared their fears that they wouldn’t be able to make rent, utility payments, or know when their next meal would be. They spoke out for the vulnerable populations dying in their homes after being unable to pay their AC bill and honored those carried away on stretchers because they were unhoused in extreme weather conditions. According to Dr. Aisha Harris, health and climate advocate, “The state of our union in this country is sicker and poorer.” This is a state engineered by the Trump administration, and it is a state that will never improve until Americans stand together to fight for a future where everyone thrives, not just the very rich.
Congress must continue to hear from people across the country that the harms of the Big Ugly Law need to be undone and our nation’s leaders must push for policies that protect the most vulnerable among us. If you or someone you know has a story to share, we want to hear from you! We must stand together to fight to protect Medicaid and SNAP and to advocate for a fairer economy that invests taxpayer dollars back into government programs that serve the American people.