SACRAMENTO, Calif. — On Thursday, Governor Gavin Newsom released a statement declaring that California would continue to write its own chapters of progress, even as Congress passed President Donald Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Betrayal.”
In his press release, Newsom described the bill as a stark tradeoff that grants sweeping tax breaks to the nation’s wealthiest individuals while slashing support for working families, health care, and public safety. His office labeled the legislation a “moral failure,” warning that Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” comes at “big, ugly costs,” stripping care from cancer patients, meals from children, and money from working families to benefit the ultra-rich.
Newsom stated that while California remains committed to pursuing equity and opportunity, the bill seeks to loudly repeal that vision.
According to Newsom, California could lose as many as 686,000 clean energy jobs with the repeal of tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act, calling it potentially one of the largest job cuts in modern memory. His office projected that more than $28.4 billion in federal Medicaid funding could be stripped from the state, a move that may force hospitals and clinics to close and leave more families burdened by medical debt.
Newsom noted that as Medicaid is reduced and premium subsidies disappear, Trump’s legislation could leave roughly 17 million people nationwide without health coverage by 2034. The bill threatens food assistance for 3 million people, imposes higher taxes on parents paying for child care, and risks the closure of rural hospitals that serve as vital community resources.
The Governor’s Office said the bill would impose deep cuts to public safety agencies, including $646 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, $545 million from the FBI, and $491 million from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. These cuts would hinder efforts to prevent violence, protect critical infrastructure, and respond to cyberattacks.
The Governor’s Office added that the bill defunds Planned Parenthood, threatening care for 1.1 million patients and risking the closure of nearly 200 health centers, especially in states where abortion remains legal.
Newsom also noted that the bill imposes new fees on families who own hybrid or electric vehicles.
He said the bill would make college less affordable for millions of students by reducing financial aid, decreasing Pell Grants, ending student loan deferment for borrowers facing hardship, and blocking future efforts to forgive student debt.
Newsom concluded that the legislation would raise costs for families and fuel aggressive immigration enforcement, potentially tearing apart families and communities — especially among farmworkers, Dreamers, and mixed-status households who have long been part of California’s fabric. For many Dreamers — and for dreamers of all kinds — this bill could mean entering a nightmare they’ve spent years trying to escape, according to the Governor’s Office.
