By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Senior National
Correspondent
Donald Trump’s sweeping health care rollback, known by Democrats as the “One Big Ugly Bill,” is projected to remove insurance coverage from as many as 16 million Americans over the next decade, while the administration has simultaneously incurred tens of millions in expenses for military pageantry and personal recreation.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, the legislation—which targets Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)—would immediately increase the number of uninsured by 10.9 million. The figure grows to 16 million if enhanced ACA premium tax credits expire later this year as scheduled.
Kaiser Family Foundation estimates indicate that the most considerable losses are likely to occur in Florida (2.3 million), Texas (1.9 million), California (1.8 million), New York (920,000), and Georgia (750,000). In more than a dozen states, uninsured rates could rise by 3 to 5 percentage points, reversing over a decade of gains in health coverage.
Medicaid, which covers more than 78 million children, seniors, and adults, would face the deepest cuts through new work reporting mandates, funding reductions, and penalties for states that maintain expanded coverage. The ACA marketplaces would also lose subsidies and tighten eligibility rules, leaving millions priced out of insurance.
As the administration advances those cuts, it has also spent heavily on events and travel. The Army 250th Anniversary Parade, which coincided with Trump’s 79th birthday on June 14, cost between $25 million and $45 million, with an additional $16 million estimated for road repairs due to tanks and armored vehicles rolling through the streets of Washington, D.C. Environmental analysts calculated the parade’s carbon emissions at more than 2 million kilograms of CO₂, and local agencies reported significant police overtime and cleanup demands.
Separately, Trump’s frequent golf trips to his properties, including Mar-a-Lago and Bedminster, have cost taxpayers at least $26 million through March 2025. Continuing weekend travel in the spring and summer has pushed the likely total over $30 million, with Secret Service contracts alone including $600,000 for golf cart and portable toilet rentals to support the president’s leisure activities.
Combined, the parade and golf-related expenses have reached an estimated $72 million to $92 million in public costs so far this year. Critics have noted that these expenditures come as millions of Americans stand to lose health insurance and states brace for higher rates of uncompensated care.
“Between the coverage losses and the taxpayer dollars poured into spectacle and personal travel, this administration has shown where its priorities truly lie,” outspoken Texas Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett said.
