The Cost of Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” on Berkeley Seniors
- FeiFei Guo
- Dec 10, 2025
- 4 min read
On July 4th, 2025 — America’s Independence Day — President Trump signed a sweeping piece of legislation called the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB). Behind its deceivingly
attractive name lies a harsh reality: over $1 trillion were slashed from vital programs such as
Medicaid and SNAP, while over $350 billion were funneled into the military and immigration
enforcement. Under the guise of securing a tax break for low and middle income Americans, the
bill delivers devastating cuts to the social services they rely on. These federal and state bills are
not just big abstract numbers — they’re critical safety nets for everyday citizens. It is especially
important to focus our attention on the senior population because the U.S. has a rapidly growing
aging population, posing a real health crisis if access to resources such as Medicare continue to
be limited. In Berkeley, the limitations on funding have already become clear, as I saw firsthand
while volunteering at the North Berkeley Senior Center.
Volunteering at the NBSC, which usually hosts recreational community activities, I was
initially pleasantly surprised to see a pop-up flu clinic set up in the lounge, advertising “free flu
shots” for seniors. However the clinic, directly serviced by the City of Berkeley, quickly ran out
of shots. Only 40 immunizations were prepared for a center that serves over 100 seniors every
day that it’s open. As two Mandarin-speaking seniors came into the center, I saw them get turned
away due to an unknown “first-come-first-serve” policy, causing confusion and frustration,
which was further exacerbated by a language barrier. The seniors told me that they had walked
over 30 minutes in hopes of receiving these flu shots, as other clinics and pharmacies were not
accessible due to transportation and commuting difficulties. The limited resources prepared
reflects a failure to provide basic public health services, eroding trust between citizens and the
government. Through this example, we can not only see the lack of priorities and resources
allocated to the provision of immunizations, but also a lack of care for the diverse populations
and language speakers in the “mosaic” of America.
The strain is just as transparent in the staff who interact with citizens on a daily basis.
Over my weeks at the senior center, I observed front-desk workers and social workers frequently
skipping lunch breaks and working over time. One worker even directly told a senior that they
are unable to reschedule a cancelled field trip because they are short-staffed. While the services
provided are diverse and enriching, a shortage of staff reduces the quality and puts immense
pressure on the workers, leading to high-burn out and turnover rates. What’s more concerning is
that staffing shortage already existed before federal funding cuts. The One Big Beautiful Bill not
only worsens the situation, but raises the question: where exactly is the money going? If
resources were already inadequate, the problem may not be the quantity of money, but how
money is allocated. Instead of cutting frontline services, we should be examining bureaucratic
inefficiencies at the government level.
In conversations with seniors, I also heard anxieties about reductions in Medicare itself.
One senior expressed that she and her husband have relied on Medicare for years, but has been
frustrated with the recent budget cuts: “It’s immoral! That’s our money! Even with Medicare, we
still have to pay for everything. There’s a lot of out-of-pocket costs.” Further, stricter eligibility
requirements will result in over a million lawfully present immigrants losing access to healthcare
benefits. But even for U.S. citizens, there has been increasing fear of policy changes that benefit
the rich while intensifying the struggles of the lower and middle-class and reinforcing pre-
existing socioeconomic disparities.
So now what? The federal government must re-evaluate their priorities. If we can afford
to increase money for the military, why can’t we afford money on the basic health provisions
like vaccines and nutrition programs that sustain human life? This is a moral decision. The One
Big Beautiful Bill is ultimately shortsighted. Cutting funding doesn’t save money but rather shifts
the cost to other places: hospitals, assisted living centers, and nursing homes, where families and
citizens must pay more directly out-of-pocket. While changes to these large-scale bills may not
be easily undone, we can act locally now. Support senior centers, volunteer, and raise awareness
of the real impact of funding cuts. The problem is here, today — and the time to take action is
now!
Citations
Ioffee, Karina. “‘This Is Draconian’: Trump’s Big Bill Expected to Bring More Hunger,
Sickness, Homelessness to Berkeley.” Berkeleyside, July 11, 2025.
county.
Lautz, Andrew. “What Does the One Big Beautiful Bill Cost?” Bipartisan Policy Center, July 23,
2025. https://bipartisanpolicy.org/explainer/what-does-the-one-big-beautiful-bill-cost/.
Lipschutz, D., and A. Bers. “Impact of the ‘Big Bill’ on Medicare.” Center for Medicare
Advocacy, July 24, 2025. https://medicareadvocacy.org/impact-of-the-big-bill-on-medicare/.
Mather, Mark, and Paola Scommegna. “Fact Sheet: Aging in the United States.” PRB, January 9,
2024. https://www.prb.org/resources/fact-sheet-aging-in-the-united-states/.
Pillai, Drishti, Alisha Rao, and Samantha Artiga. “1.4 Million Lawfully Present Immigrants Are
Expected to Lose Health Coverage Due to the 2025 Tax and Budget Law .” KFF, September 25,
expected-to-lose-health-coverage-due-to-the-2025-tax-and-budget-law/.
“Public Health.” City of Berkeley. Accessed October 13, 2025. https://berkeleyca.gov/safety-
health/public-health.Photo taken by the author at the North Berkeley Senior center (FeiFei Guo).
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