There is nothing beautiful about the bill that the United States Congress passed today, unless your idea of beauty is war against the people of the United States of America.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is the most effective assault on our country since World War II. My father fought in that one. He called it the war against intolerance. He believed at the time that the fascists might actually take over the world, and he was willing to die in service to future generations.
The attack this time is economic, and it is mostly from within. Taking away health care services, food, housing, jobs, and clean energy from people who work for a living is destructive. Transferring all of that money in the form of tax relief to people whose excessive wealth allows them to vacation 365 days a year is insulting and has no economic benefit. Expanding our national debt to unsustainable levels threatens our economy and makes our nation weak. All of it is exactly what those who seek to destroy America have been advocating for, and it’s why North Korea and Russia invested so heavily in the MAGA agenda.
Transferring billions of dollars of federal obligations to state and local governments with zero funding to take on the responsibilities is an attack on every service that we deliver directly to our residents. State and local government budgets will look very different in the future if the bill is fully implemented. For a clearer sense of how this is being carried out, listen to last Wednesday’s briefing on these impacts to the Maryland General Assembly Joint Federal Action Oversight Committee.
I don’t say these things as political statements. My responsibility as Anne Arundel County Executive is to protect and improve the quality of life for the 600k people who live here. The contents of the bill are facts, and the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office is clear about impacts.
So now what?
If you’re a regular reader of this letter, you are aware that our Office of Emergency Management (OEM) coordinates our interagency disaster preparedness and recovery work. Any large scale event that threatens the health and wellness of our people requires that we plan and coordinate through OEM. That’s why we created the OEM-led Federal Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Workgroup.
Unlike some of our neighboring counties and the state, we don’t maintain a federal affairs office to coordinate our efforts with the federal government, so for this event we have contracted with a public affairs firm to advise us. They came on two weeks ago and are fully integrated into the OEM efforts.
A part of the task is to inform the spending of funds that we set aside in the budget to protect our people from the federal disaster. But we know that those funds won’t meet the need, so we’ll also be coordinating with state and federal allies, pursuing public-private partnerships, engaging with nonprofits and faith-based organizations, and maximizing the impact of our own county resources. I also suspect that this work group will have a major impact on next year’s budget deliberations.
The final charge to the Federal Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Workgroup is to monitor the harm as it takes place. Our agencies will report on loss of funds, services threatened, and impacts on local nonprofits, businesses, families, and individuals. We know that we won’t be able to solve every problem, but it’s our obligation to report the impact and know the need.
That information will be shared publicly and assist policymakers, press, and organizers who are building the mass movement that will ultimately win back our federal government. It will also be used in future truth and reconciliation efforts that every community undertakes to heal after moments like this.
Tomorrow is Independence Day. It’s a day to celebrate the rejection of Kings and the establishment of a nation dedicated to liberty and justice for all. Let’s celebrate with all of our hearts this weekend, and on Monday, let’s double down on our work to fulfill the promise of our nation.
Until next week…