As President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” advances through Congress, a new report reveals that 35 of the wealthiest Republican lawmakers stand to profit while their own constituents face deep cuts to critical public services. According to the watchdog group Accountable.US, the top 10 richest Republican senators and the top 25 richest House Republicans—collectively worth more than $2.5 billion—are backing a legislative package that would extend lucrative tax breaks originally introduced by the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. At the same time, the bill would slash funding for food assistance, healthcare, and higher education for tens of millions of Americans.
“While pushing for more tax cuts to line their own pockets,” the report notes, “many of the richest Republican members are pushing for draconian cuts to the very social programs that millions of their constituents rely on,” including Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and federal student aid.
In total, the proposed cuts would threaten the well-being of more than 14 million constituents in the districts and states represented by these lawmakers. Among them are 6.3 million SNAP recipients, 9.2 million Medicaid enrollees, and over 3.9 million students who depend on federal education grants.
Florida Senator Rick Scott, the wealthiest member of the Senate Republican caucus, is worth an estimated $551.7 million. Before entering politics, Scott made his fortune in the for-profit healthcare industry. His state is home to nearly 3 million SNAP recipients, over 3.5 million people enrolled in Medicaid, and more than 1.15 million students who received federal financial aid. Yet Scott, who sits on the Senate Budget Committee, is among those advocating to reduce federal support for these same programs.
Nine of the ten richest GOP senators hold seats on key committees driving budget reconciliation—including Budget, Finance, Appropriations, Banking, and Energy and Natural Resources. Together, these ten senators are worth more than $1.1 billion. According to the report, they represent some of the highest-need constituencies in the country and are pursuing legislation that would harm the very voters who rely most on federal support.
The House side tells a similar story. The 25 wealthiest Republican representatives have a combined net worth of over $1.4 billion. Nineteen of them hold seats on five major committees that shape federal spending: the House Budget Committee, Ways and Means Committee, Appropriations Committee, Energy and Commerce Committee, and Financial Services Committee.
Florida Representative Vern Buchanan, worth $249.3 million, is the vice chair of the Ways and Means Committee, which oversees tax legislation. He praised the bill after its passage in the House, stating, “The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is the definition of promises made and promises kept. This is a commonsense, pro-growth, pro-family, America First bill. We will not stop fighting until we get this bill across the finish line and to the president’s desk.”
But critics point to glaring conflicts of interest and the devastating impact the bill could have on working-class families. According to the report, “6.3 million constituents represented by the top 10 richest senators and 2.1 million constituents represented by the top 25 richest representatives use SNAP and are at risk of losing their food security.” It adds, “9.2 million constituents represented by the top 10 richest senators and 4 million constituents represented by the top 25 richest representatives use Medicaid and are at risk of losing critically needed healthcare.”
The education cuts are equally severe. The report warns that “3 million and 930,000 federal student aid grants were given to constituents within these lawmakers’ states and districts, respectively, and proposed cuts threaten ‘to price students out of pursuing higher education.’”
Senator Bernie Sanders, who is currently traveling the country for his “Fighting Oligarchy Tour,” condemned the legislation on social media: “As Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill moves to the Senate, we must make it clear: There is nothing ‘beautiful’ about giving huge tax breaks to billionaires while cutting healthcare, nutrition, and education for working families. It is grossly immoral and, together, we must defeat it.”
Only two Republicans in the House—Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Warren Davidson of Ohio—voted against the bill. Representative Andy Harris of Maryland, who chairs the House Freedom Caucus, voted “present.” All other Republicans supported the legislation, despite some previously warning leadership that their districts had high Medicaid usage and they could not support cuts to the program.
The report also notes that “six of those Republican lawmakers—Reps. Rob Bresnahan of Pennsylvania, Rob Wittman of Virginia, Jen Kiggans of Virginia, Young Kim of California, Juan Ciscomani of Arizona, and Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey—could directly benefit from the expansion of the ‘pass-through deduction’ in the package.”
Accountable.US executive director Tony Carrk stated, “The richest Republicans in Congress are happy to raise costs for millions of their own constituents and jeopardize healthcare for millions more, while they get a tax cut for themselves. The Trump tax scam is a grift for the ultra rich, including those who are in charge of passing this legislation themselves, and a betrayal to hardworking Americans everywhere.”
The structure of the legislation and the alignment of personal financial interests with political power suggest a system increasingly governed by self-interest rather than public service. By consolidating tax advantages for the ultra rich while dismantling key pillars of the social safety net, the proposed law threatens to deepen economic inequality and institutionalize class-based disparities in access to healthcare, food, and education.
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