Utahns gather to express concerns about President Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’

SALT LAKE CITY — President Trump’s massive domestic policy bill, dubbed the “Big Beautiful Bill,” narrowly passed in the Senate on Tuesday.

Utahns gathered Wednesday evening to call and email Utah’s Congressional Delegation before those representatives are called to vote in the House of Representatives.

“So many people didn’t know the sweeping legislation found in this bill. With education, people can take action. And that’s what we are doing here tonight,” Gabi Finlayson, Senior Partner at Elevate Strategies, said. “Lawmakers do care what their constituents think. And if they don’t listen, Utahns will remember that at the voting booth. We’ve had bipartisan success contacting representatives in the past.”

Wednesday night, for three hours, nearly 250 people gathered at Fiddler’s Pizza and Pub in Salt Lake City to tell the Utah Delegation to vote no on the “Big Beautiful Bill.”

Phone numbers for Representatives Burgess Owens, Mike Kennedy, Blake Moore and Celeste Maloy were on display. Many people heard about the event earlier in the day and made an effort to come.

“I shouldn’t have to be here. My representatives should have used their voices to speak for me and many Americans at Capitol Hill,” Kiran Valenzuela said. “I am scared for the future of my family and friends and for my patients who I take care of.”

Valenzuela is a healthcare professional at a rural hospital. She knows the importance of preserving resources in rural communities.

“I know that this bill will bankrupt a lot of rural hospitals. I see many people come into the hospital, down on their luck. Many people are living paycheck to paycheck. It only takes two bad weeks, and you’re out on the street,” Valenzuela said.

Valenzuela wrote a letter to her congressional representative, citing her personal experience in the rural healthcare industry.

“The current administration is just trying to create a lot of noise, so as to block the public’s attention to what is in this bill. It’s our duty as Americans to pay attention to what’s going on, whether we like it or not,” Valenzuela said. “Now is the time to voice our opinions and get loud.”

Recent polling shows the “One Big Beautiful Bill” is unpopular. Fifty-five percent of voters said that they oppose the bill, while 29% said they support it and 16% were unsure.

In another poll, 49% told Fox News they think the legislation will hurt their families, while 23% said it would help and 26% said it would make no difference.

Tim Whalen works with patients on Medicaid. He said all Utahns will suffer if this bill passes.

“I work with those dealing with mental health issues; those who have experienced homelessness,” Whalen said. “We see them get into recovery and become employable, tax-paying citizens, and they become less involved in crime. So the net effect of using Medicaid to provide these services is humongous, and there is no evidence-based research that would discount that.”

Whalen said if Medicaid is stripped, the state then has to pick up the bill for those services.

“In many Medicaid products the federal government is covering 90 percent for these services,” Whalen said. “Any change in Medicaid policy at the federal level impacts Utah residents to pay extra across the board with higher taxes and premiums.”

Utah Senator John Curtis voted yes to further the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” He told his constituents, “I wish you could all be behind closed doors with me. Because if you could, you would see thoughtful people on both sides of really tough debates. For instance, how much should we cut on Medicaid? And if we cut, how do we ensure that the most vulnerable are being taken care of? We are working hard and in a thoughtful way.”

Representative Celeste Maloy of Utah’s Second Congressional District said it’s possible to “cut and grow at the same time.” She said the Congressional Budget Office is wrong, and the legislation will not increase the deficit by trillions.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill will increase budget deficits by $3-$4 trillion over the next decade.

The Senate proposal directs around $50 billion for border wall construction and surveillance, while allocating roughly $110 billion for immigration law enforcement and detention capacity.

Gabi Finlayson, who helped coordinate Wednesday’s event, also produces content with a small team on Instagram and TikTok in order to educate Utahns about political happenings.

“People are extremely busy,” Finlayson said. “That’s why breaking down bills and explaining the effects of political choices in a way that is easy to understand, has been a really cool experience for this community.”