The bus stops here: A nationwide effort to oppose the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ rolls into Harrisburg

A national campaign raising awareness about the impact of a GOP megabill moving through Congress came to the Pennsylvania Capitol on Tuesday, warning that President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” will cut taxes for wealthy Americans at the expense of the country’s most vulnerable citizens. 

Emblazoned with a trillion-dollar bill, the “Stop The Billionaire Giveaway” bus parked along Commonwealth Avenue behind the state Capitol, spurring state lawmakers and everyday Pennsylvanians to urge leaders in Washington to abandon the budget reconciliation bill. 

“This president and these Republicans in Congress, they’re calling this a ‘Big Beautiful Bill.’ I’ve been calling it a ‘Big Bullshit Bill’ because it is going to hurt American families all across this country,” said Democratic state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta.

The bus tour was organized by Fair Share America, a national organization focused on generating support for progressive tax policies that target wealthy individuals and large corporations. Kristen Crowell, the organization’s executive director, was on hand Tuesday to rally opposition against the legislation. With the U.S. Senate yet to complete its work on it, she described the current political moment as a “critical, urgent time” in America. 

Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa also spoke out against the reconciliation bill on Tuesday, saying it would benefit the rich and powerful. “We should not make those changes at the expense of regular folks in Pennsylvania who are going to bear the brunt of these things that can take place,” he said.

The reconciliation bill, formally known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, would make permanent several provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, including individual tax rates of 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35% and 37% that are set to expire under the 2017 legislation. According to an analysis from the Tax Foundation, the reconciliation bill would prevent tax increases for 62% of taxpayers that would occur if the TCJA provisions expired. The megabill features other priorities of the president, including tax exemptions for tips and overtime pay.

The legislation also includes provisions that have drawn the ire of Democrats, including the expansion of work requirements for SNAP recipients, as well as changes to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act that could drastically increase the number of uninsured individuals in the U.S. 

According to an analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the changes outlined in the House-passed version of the reconciliation bill “would increase the number of people without health insurance by 10.9 million in 2034, relative to baseline projections under current law.”

The Congressional Budget Office also estimates that the bill would increase the federal deficit by $2.8 trillion between 2025 and 2034. 

Joining the bus in Harrisburg was a large, cigar-smoking inflatable tabby cat named Mr. Riggs that has become a staple of progressive tax rallies across the state. Attendees were able to scan a QR code located near Riggs to send messages to their legislators urging them to oppose the reconciliation bill.

Other speakers at Tuesday’s event included a Pennsylvania homecare worker and a mother who relied on Medicaid to flee an abusive relationship, as well as Matt Yarnell, the president of SEIU Healthcare PA, and Mechanicsburg Borough Councilmember Sara Agerton.