One Big Not-Beautiful At All Bill Act (H.R. 1)

 

This blog is part of my ongoing effort to maintain a record of my written communication expressing concern about the actions of the current presidential administration that lead to unnecessary (and in some cases cruel) harm to others, to the U.S., or to the global community. 

I wrote the following letter to address H.R. 1 (One Big Beautiful Bill Act); while I focused my letter on the (highly) detrimental impact of the bill on the U.S. national debt, the impacts to the poor through cuts in Medicaid and other programs alongside tax cuts to the wealthy are not what America is nor what it should be. Feel free to copy any text in the letter below for your own communications.   

The text of H.R. 1 is here:

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1/text

And a summary of the bill's impacts are here:

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/what-you-need-to-share-about-the

How to reach your U.S. Senators:

https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm

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Dear Senator <Name>,

I am writing to strongly oppose the passage of H.R. 1., the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.  

​​​While there are many impacts to this bill that seem to unjustly punish poor working Americans and bless the rich, I am focusing this letter on the impact of the bill on the national debt. Does anyone in Congress really believe that we can survive another three to four trillion dollar increase in our national debt?   Does the recent downgrade in the U.S. credit rating not mean anything to Congress?  And what happened to the Republican Party?  Have all Republicans been kidnapped and duct taped or brainwashed to think that fiscal responsibility is no longer relevant?  necessary?  essential?   

The choice of words and alliteration in H.R. 1 mock the seriousness of the bill's profound, negative impacts. Groceries aren't beautiful. They are necessary.  H.R.1 is not beautiful.  It is not necessary and from a fiscal perspective... it is wildly irresponsible.  

I beg you to start over or take a leap backward on H.R. 1 -- to  thoughtfully consider what it will do, over short and long term, to harm "ordinary” Americans. I ask you to act, as a U.S. Senator, to prevent these harms.  

Please consider sacrificing politics, party, and individual advancement for the sake of those who vote for you, those who struggle to make ends meet, those who work hard every day to keep this country running, those who have sacrificed their lives to defend the country ... for the sake of every American who would like the United States of America to have a  bright and promising future.   

Sincerely, 

A Monday at the end of May

 

I am as guilty as many other Americans of making the last Monday in May a National Barbecue Day rather than the more serious and reflective day that it should be.  Too often, I allow the day to pass without even stopping to think about what it is really about.  Well, not this year. 

Don’t get me wrong.  We still barbecued.   Polish sausage (kielbasa) with the flavor that only comes from being on the grill sans foil.   Add to it -- pea salad, three bean salad, cucumber salad (do you see a theme here?), tater tots, and baked rockfish to top it all off. I am stuffed and content.  I love National Barbecue Day.  

But, I also love my country.   I’ve heard the following words over and over again throughout my life but especially on Memorial Day:

Remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedoms.   

It is truly a sad state of affairs when these words only truly sink in when our freedoms are in real danger of being extinguished, temporarily at best, and now possibly -- for the rest of my time on this earth.  I expect to be here for several more decades, but, like many, I am afraid of the future that my beloved country is now facing.   

In America, I have lived a life speaking my mind, never once considering the possibility of dire consequences for doing so.

In America, I've lived my life secure as a birthright citizen, never once considering that I would be sent to live in a country that is not the United States and is as foreign to me as Mars or Venus.   

In America, I have lived the upward mobility story -- rising not only from poverty to the middle class, but being transformed into a more thoughtful and capable person by a high quality college education – which has in turn better equipped to be a teacher and public servant.

In America, I have been free enough to practice free will. To grow in my faith along a haphazard, convoluted route that has led me closer to God and more able and willing to serve Him. 

Throughout the years I have lived and changed in the United States, I have become increasingly aware of my affluence as an American and of my responsibility to steward resources and share my privilege for the benefit of others.

At times, I have been spoiled.  At times, I have taken this all for granted.   At times, I have been oblivious to the needs of others. At times, I have been disparaging of what others have to say, even of what others are.  

None of these times am I proud of.  

I want to do better.  Resting on American ideals and values alongside my faith, I can do better.     

But here I am.   On Memorial Day 2025, I am contemplating with deep sadness all those who have died for this country while protecting freedoms that now seem to be rapidly slipping away from us.   

Stickies

Science has advanced the study of the brain by leaps and bounds in the past few decades. Yet so much of how the human brain works remains a big messy mystery.  Among the many mysteries that remain are the ones that make me think science will never really capture the whole picture... is the process of how memories are made, organized, stored, and retrieved.  Particularly when it comes to the pleasures and joys of vacationing.

So much of what I see, do, and experience on vacation gets lost somewhere in the deep caverns of memory, never to be seen again, unless a dream or a la-la land moment in my waking hours randomly retrieves them. Even then, the memories appear and disappear in a short window of time, never to be seen again, unless the random moment... randomly repeats itself.  Which is not probable.  

So over the past few years, I've had less focus on seeing as much as possible while on travel or on vacation (not that I was very good at that to begin with) and more focus on making Stickies.  Stickies are those memories that are easily retrievable, pinned on a special bulletin board in the brain reserved for all things easily retrieved.   

To my dismay, Stickies are not easy to make. They are on par with making sourdough bread. The outcome is highly desirable, but the process is not at all simple or easily repeatable.

For one, Stickies usually require stillness.  And, how easy is it to be still when you are at a viewpoint with a hundred other people and a comparable multitude of cars that exceed the number of parking spaces?  And so it goes ...  Hunt down parking spot.  Hustle to viewpoint. Squeeze into a spot along guard railing.  Take photographs.  Feel weird because you are focused on the landscape rather than a selfie.  Listen to chatter. Return to Car. Leave. What results is a very perfect recipe for remembering nothing beyond a snippet on a busy itinerary.  

There is a simple solution, right?  Just seek out stillness.  Breathe. Meditate.  Feel the wind. Slowly take in the sun, the clouds, the rain, the weather. Listen for birds, squirrels, or the flow of water.  Smell fresh air, nearby flowers, or that burger that someone took with them to the viewpoint (and is now drive everyone else crazy).  Don't think about food. Be in the moment.  Focus.  Breathe.  Ignore the child screaming because mom pulled him off the railing before he went over the edge. Ignore the multitude of languages that together elevate the volume of unintelligible background chatter.  

Not so simple.    But not impossible either.  Worth the intentional effort it takes to find the place and space to make those tricky Stickies.

I love Stickies.  I love them because even on the most stressful of days I can pick a Stickie and rest in it.  In a moment of chaos, I can return to the Loughrigg Fell (Ambleside UK) and find peace:

In a day that feels dead and lifeless, I can remember creatures full of curiosity:

During a moment mired in frustration, I can remember a scene of contentment:

On a dreary, rainy day that marks a pattern of the same over a week, two weeks, a month ... I can return to the sunshine. 

And that's just from a single, ten-day trip to England (a trip that is turning into quite the StickieFest). 

Stickies.   Worth more than ten cities in ten days. Worth more than the most expensive resort.   Worth more than a thousand photographs.   

Worth more than gold.   Although some gold would certainly help with expenses.   

Electricity for Those in Need

 

This blog is part of my ongoing effort to maintain a record of my written communication expressing concern about the actions of the current presidential administration that lead to unnecessary (and in some cases cruel) harm to others, to the U.S., or to the global community. 

I wrote the following letter to address cutting of all staff in the LIHEAP program which provides assistance to maintain electricity to individuals in need including but not limited to those requiring oxygen to breathe and those living in states that experience extreme temperatures in the winter or summer.  Feel free to copy and paste any of the following text for your own letters or other advocacy to protect vulnerable populations in the U.S.  

More about LIHEAP:

https://www.liheap.org/about

How to reach your U.S. Senators:

https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm

How to reach your U.S. Representative:

https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

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Dear Senator <Name>,

Dear Representative <Name>,

I am writing to strongly encourage continued funding for LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program).   

From the information that is available to me (and to the public), my understanding is that approximately 10% of the 2025 budget for LIHEAP has not yet been allocated because of a series of determinations involving certain (albeit extensive) calculations that need to be done by a LIHEAP staff member. Since all LIHEAP staff members were laid off recently, my understanding is also that the budget will remain unallocated because there is simply no one left to do the necessary work.   Further, it appears to me that the 2026 federal budget seeks to cut off LIHEAP entirely.   

Before voicing my thoughts on eliminating LIHEAP, I would like to communicate that my political views are moderate and lean only slightly left of center.  I am not a fan of proliferating entitlement programs just because they sound good on paper.  Instead, I am strongly in favor of programs that serve those who, through no fatal flaw or major fault of their own, are not earning enough money to maintain their basic needs.   

My understanding is that, before mass firings over the last several months, LIHEAP was run efficiently, channeling money directly to the states and directly to individuals vetted and approved for help with their home heating and cooling bills.  

In an era where temperatures are often reaching extremes of heat in the summer and extremes of cold in the winter, such aid is critical.  Temperature extremes can kill people when access to warm or cool spaces is cut off.  Individuals who need oxygen concentrators to breathe cannot survive when their electricity is turned off.  In an affluent country, is it wise or ethical to deny people access to electricity? Do we really want that to be a part of this administration’s legacy?

In addition to the immediate impacts of cutting LIHEAP funds, actions taken to curtail LIHEAP are an excellent example of where I believe the federal government is taking an ineffective approach to cutting waste and fraud that is fraught with ethical concerns. 

Instead of improving our methods for finding and pursuing those who pursue tax evasion, we promote tax evasion by making major cuts at the IRS.  Why?  

Instead of directing efforts towards the complicated issues of Medicare and Medicaid, cutting fraud which gives a real bang for the buck, we cut off energy assistance to very low-income individuals to save money. Why?

Instead of finding new ways to reduce food waste in this country, we cut off programs that distribute ugly produce and other surplus food to working families. Why?

And, in the end, after all these dramatic and highly damaging cuts that detrimentally impact the lives of so many individuals and families who have valid struggles, all the legal fees that result from the government’s hasty actions… reduce the resulting “savings” to negligible or even negative.  What on earth are we doing here?     

If LIHEAP is not being run efficiently, then with a sincerity of heart, I beg you to take action to fix it, not throw it away.  If there is waste in the food distribution network, find it and curtail it.  Please move away from "throwing out the baby with the bathwater" with these hasty, broad brush stroke actions that in the end, do more harm and good.   

It took us, as a country, a long time to get to the level of fraud and waste that now costs the federal government a mind-boggling amount of dollars every year.  These are complex problems that should be solved… but cannot be solved overnight.  

Thank you for considering my perspective. 

Sincerely,

A Peter Rabbit Kind of Day

I confess. I have a love-hate relationship with rabbits. 

Some days, they seem adorable -- a harmless delight. Catching sight of one bounding off into the brush with the bright white underside of its tail bobbing in harmony with its hopping -- makes me smile.  

Other days, I feel one step short of shooting any rabbit I see -- which will never really happen because I don't own a gun.  I typically have these homicidal impulses right after I discover some substantial or valued part of my garden has been gobbled up by the pesky critters.   

Still other days, I am neutral on the topic of rabbits.  On these days, in the war I wage with rabbits, I have won a battle or two and the many barriers I've put in place to keep them away from my garden are actually working.  Unfortunately, these days are few and far between because rabbits are very determined critters, taking second place only to beavers in the single-mindedness of their endeavors.  

Today was the first kind of day... the adorable Peter Rabbit arrived for a lengthy visit.  I had the privilege to visit Hill Top House in the Lakes District in England where Beatrix Potter did a great deal of her work in illustrating and writing children's stories in the early 1900's.  While Peter Rabbit was only one of her many characters, he is arguably the most well known... world famous no less.  

Fittingly, the day looked like a fairy tail (pun intended) from the very start.  The sun was out, joyfully announcing the arrival of spring.  The temperatures were ideal... not too cold, not too hot.  Once the morning chill evaporated, the temperature was just right (and it had nothing at all to do with porridge).   A multitude of lambs were out in pasture, enjoying the green grass with their mothers comfortably nearby.   A smattering of clouds in the sky moved against the bright blue backdrop fueling a seemingly endless sequence of unique landscapes.    

My friend Alice and I opted to drive less rather than more today... which drastically reduced the risk associated with the challenge of driving on the "wrong" side of the road amid narrow lanes and crazy fast drivers.  Driving less required a boat, so we drove from Ambleside (an adorable town that has the honor of being the biggest seller of outdoor clothing and supplies in England, despite its small size) to Windermere to catch a boat across the lake to our destination.   The boat in question was the cutest little ferry ever made with an eighteen car capacity that also held room for a handful of foot passengers like us.  Quite a contrast to the Washington State ferry (capacity between 90 and 144 cars) that we were accustomed to.  

In a short ten minutes, the ferry whisked us from the east side of Lake Windermere to the less populated west side. From the dock, we walked the landscape for what seemed like many miles even though the signs along the route continued to repeat for quite some time that it was only 1.5 miles further to Hill Top House.  Finally, the milepost signs started to drop to 3/4 miles, then 1/3 then 1/4.   I guess there had been a sale on 1.5 mile signs when the signposts were installed.   

We passed through wooded areas, pastures populated with contented sheep and new lambs, and a feast of old stone buildings, churches, and other structures that made it very clear we were no longer in the United States.   England and the Lakes District had offered us a perfect day with perfect landscapes and plenty to gawk at.  I thought for sure that arriving at Hill Top House would be anticlimactic. 

Not exactly.      

At Hill Top House, we were granted a moment of time to look into the window of the life of Beatrix Potter -- a window that extended well beyond Miss Potter, the movie and that left me wandering in musing and whimsy for the rest of the day.  The self-guided tour began in her gardens. Weeping wisteria, rhododendrons, azaleas, and a variety of other flowers had erupted in a rainbow of colors at the peak of spring bloom.  The flowers alone would have been enough to entertain me for an afternoon, but there was still the house to see.   

As we entered the house, I felt drawn to the window seat. Nestled in the seat and basking in sunshine, I picked up a copy of  "The Tale of Samuel Whiskers or The Roly-Poly Pudding" and was soon lost in the story.  As I read, I should have been horrified that two very large rats were busy trying to turn Tom Kitten into dinner, first tying him up, then slathering him in butter, then rolling him in dough... to make Roly-Poly pudding.  But with the clever illustrations and the rhythm of the story, it was hard to be disgusted by the rats (as I would certainly be in any real-life situation involving rats).  

Instead I laughed at the antics of Tom Kitten and breathed a sign of relief when he was rescued.  The rats were ultimately banished to Father Potato's barn (where they and their progeny apparently wreaked havoc for many years upon all nature of things stored in said barn).  And who knows what happened to Tom Kitten... precocious, mischievous little thing that was bound to find trouble every day of his feline life.     

Beatrix Potter had a way of spelling out the reality of predator-prey while simultaneously anthropomorphizing both and pulling it all together into a story suitable for children.  I could imagine that her Roly-Poly pudding was inspired when she heard rats scratching away in the walls of Hill Top House (as the tour informed us to be the case).  I am very impressed by this.  How you can create anything of artistic value when rodents are abounding in your home? That takes a level of character, drive, and strength that I will never have. Rats in my walls or in my attic (or anywhere in my vicinity) only inspire fear and homicidal impulses in my world.   Ugh.

Despite the fact that two of the main characters were large rats, Roly-Poly Pudding colored the rest of my time at Hill Top House in the most pleasant of ways. I felt that I had a little window into Ms. Potter's spirit and artistic flow and had a wonderful time soaking in the things she left behind in her home for us to better understand and know her.  

When leaving Hill Top House, I saw this sign in the road, cautioning us to be careful that Peter Rabbit might indeed spring out of the brush at any moment and hop onto the road.  In my whimsical state of mind, I didn't find it hard to imagine that he might just do that.     

More photos of the trek to Hill Top House, via slideshow:

https://youtu.be/9FQWB6JUNW4

SAVE access to voting rights

This blog is part of my ongoing effort to maintain a record of my written communication expressing concern about the actions of the current federal administration that (I sincerely believe) lead to unnecessary (and in some cases cruel) harm to others, to the U.S., or to the global community. 

If any of the text in this blog is helpful in your own efforts to reach your representatives or senators, please feel free to copy and paste.   

I wrote the following letter regarding concerns over HR22 (the SAVE act) which requires voters to show proof of U.S. citizenship in order to vote. The letter was sent to my U.S. Senators and Representative on May 6, 2025.  

More about the SAVE act is here:

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/22

More about the real-life impacts of the SAVE act, if passed:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/mar/31/congress-republicans-save-act-voting-rights

How to reach your U.S. Senators:

https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm

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Dear Senator <Name>,

I am writing to strongly oppose the passage of HR22 as it is currently written.  While the premise of the SAVE act (requiring individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections) seems sound and reasonable, the bill as written will lead to restrictions in voting to certain populations of U.S. citizens, thereby leading to discrimination agains those populations.  This contradicts American values and ideals.

Restricting the right to vote among U.S. citizens, whether explicitly or implicitly, also runs contrary to the 14th, 155h, 17th, 19th, and 26th amendments of the U.S. Constitution.  The American people rely on our states and U.S. Congress to ensure that our right to vote, as U.S. citizens, is protected and available to all citizens regardless of their circumstance, geographical location, education level, or otherwise.   

For example, women often change their name when they marry.  With the passage of HR22, they will be required to track down copies of their birth certificate and their marriage certificate in order to vote.   This adds additional complications to already busy and burdened lives for women. I believe if Congress is insistent on passing HR22, it must also provide accessible means to access these legal documents at little to no expense and additional burden to the requestor .  Yet, these considerations are not included in HR22 and HR22 is therefore  incomplete. As it stands, HR22 is unfair and unjust to U.S. citizens who should be able to vote in a way that does not cause a disproportionate burden or expense to them.  

While HR22 does not impact those who carry a U.S. passport which I believe is still gold standard proof of U.S. citizenship, more than half of Americans do not have a passport.  How does HR22 enable U.S. citizens more practical access to a U.S. passport or other proof of citizenship? What resources are allocated to the states by this bill to serve the resulting increase in requests for passports or other documentation? How does HR22 allow for educating voters well in advance of elections to ensure that those who want to vote and who are eligible to vote...  can indeed vote?  

I strongly advocate for considering these important details prior to voting on the SAVE act.   Like so much else that has happened in the last few months,  decisions are being made and legislation passed in haste without thoughtful consideration of the multitude of impacts on the American people. This is threatening our democracy, adherence to our U.S. Constitution, and ultimately, the health of our country as a whole.  

Please take a step back and reconsider HR22 rather than passing it without sufficient safeguards to ensure that those who are entitled to vote in the United States can vote without undue or differential burden on them to do so.

Sincerely,

Tone Deaf Senators

This blog is part of my ongoing effort to maintain a record of my written communication expressing concern about the actions of the current presidential administration that lead to unnecessary (and in some cases cruel) harm to others, to the U.S., or to the global community. 

I try to be understanding of how busy my U.S. Senators and Representatives (and their respective staffs) must be, especially with the chaos in the current administration. But my patience has run thin with form letter responses that completely miss the mark and send the message that the people who are supposed to be representing me in the U.S. Congress are preoccupied with other agendas that have little to do with their constituents.  

Call me an idealist, but in the U.S. as it should be, what greater priority is there for a U.S. Senator or Representative than the voices of their constituents?   

How to reach your U.S. Senators:

https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm

How to reach your U.S. Representative:

https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

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Senator Ashley Moody's response to my letter regarding the release of personal data to unelected and unvetted officials is copied below my response to her response at the end of this blog.   

Dear Senator Moody,

In mid-February 2025, I wrote you a letter protesting the inappropriate access to and use of my personal data and that of millions of Americans by DOGE.  In that letter, I ask you specifically to take clear and urgent steps to ensure that the extensive personal information we are required to provide the American government remain ... personal and confidential, to be accessed only by those who have been vetted and who fully and humbly understand their obligations to protect that information.  I simply ask that my personal data be protected as it has historically been protected, that is until the current administration took office.

In my letter, I did not argue against reducing fraud and waste in the U.S. government. However, in April of 2025, I received a response from you and your office that focused instead on the reduction of fraud and waste by DOGE and lauded your accomplishments as attorney general of Florida, but did not at all touch on my concerns regarding the release of my personal information  by the recent hasty and extensive acts of the federal government via DOGE.  I am writing this letter to say that I am deeply offended and concerned by the tone-deaf response I received.  

The release of my personal information (and that of millions of other Americans) in a manner that is wholly inconsistent with the trust we are asked to put in the federal government is unacceptable. This is not a trivial issue to be swept to the side by other agendas. 

I ask you, as part of your duty to provide effective, honest, and relevant oversight to the federal government, to take the protection of personal data much more seriously and make it more central to the future actions of DOGE and other government agencies.   

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Senator Moody's letter to me, sent electronically to my email on April 17, 2025

Dear Denise,

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts regarding the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Understanding your views helps me to better represent Florida in the United States Senate, and I appreciate the opportunity to respond.

For too long, our nation has been rife with waste, fraud and abuse at various levels of our government. The Government Accountability Office has found the federal government loses between $230 billion and $500 billion to fraud annually. Since 2003, it is estimated that the federal government has made over $2.3 trillion in incorrect payments without a way to track, mitigate, or recover those finances. As a hard-working taxpayer, it is unconscionable to believe how much of our money has been lost in recent years.

As the former Attorney General of Florida, I led multiple investigations that exposed the bad actors and their abuse of government finances. Most notably, I uncovered over $10 million in back payments targeting Medicaid that shortchanged the state’s program. These actions led to us recouping all the nearly lost funds. With the help of DOGE, we are working on eliminating those risks and putting your taxes to better use.

Most recently, I proudly cosponsored the Recover Fraudulent COVID Funds Act (S. 121), which was introduced by Senator Lankford (R-OK). This legislation would extend the statute of limitations for prosecuting and recovering stolen and fraudulently-obtained COVID funds and payments. Last year, the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation unit released a report detailing nearly $9 billion in fraudulent COVID payments, totaling over 1,600 cases – most of which were uncovered over the last year. This legislation will allow us to recover fraudulent payments and hold bad actors accountable.

President Trump and all leaders in Washington understand the dangers to our nation if we do not get federal spending under control. Our debt has skyrocketed, and this leaves our children and grandchildren exposed to an unstable fiscal reality. We must ensure taxpayer funds are working as effectively as possible. Wasteful government practices have contributed to our enormous debt, which is one of the most pressing challenges we face as a nation. Cost-saving measures are required if we are going to ensure the long-term financial stability of the U.S.

My goal is to reduce the national debt, shrink the federal bureaucracy, and ensure that taxpayers actually benefit from any services paid for with their tax dollars.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me. If you would like to stay up to date on how I am serving Florida in the Senate, I encourage you to visit https://www.moody.senate.gov/ or https://x.com/SenAshleyMoody for more information.

Sincerely,

Ashley Moody

United States Senator