WASHINGTON, D.C. — Following the passage of the reconciliation package today by the U.S. House of Representatives, Democracy Defenders Action issued the following statement.

"In a predictable display of disregard for both economic fairness and democratic norms, Congress has pushed through a reconciliation bill that delivers sweeping tax cuts to the wealthiest households while slashing vital domestic programs that millions of Americans rely on,” said Virginia Canter, chief counsel for ethics and anti-corruption at Democracy Defenders Fund. "But the harm doesn’t end there. Buried in the legislation are deeply troubling provisions that erode legal safeguards and dangerously expand executive power, measures that have no place in a budget bill.

"GOP leaders rammed the bill through with no regard for widespread public opposition, ignoring the will of the many to serve the narrow interests of the few. There is no doubt that it will do grave and lasting harm to the democratic institutions, legal safeguards, and civil liberties Americans depend on. It advances disastrous fiscal policy and authorizes sweeping expansions of executive authority at the expense of accountability, judicial oversight, and public trust.”

In particular, the so-called Big Beautiful Bill  includes provisions that allocate billions of dollars for private immigration detention centers while simultaneously exempting those same facilities from key health and safety requirements. These centers are already inhumane and deadly, and this measure will only make matters worse.

The Act includes a provision that levies new taxes on some colleges' endowments while excluding a narrow group of higher education institutions. That exemption only applies to colleges that decline federal financial aid, effectively benefiting a small number of well-resourced schools that offer students few options to afford tuition.

These provisions undermine the health and safety of our communities and create a dynamic that penalizes schools that serve low- and middle-income students and that rely on federal support to expand access to higher educational opportunities.

Late last month, Democracy Defenders Fund sent a letter to Senators urging them to reject the legislation unless deeply anti-democratic provisions were removed. While lawmakers removed some of the provisions DDF opposed, many dangerous measures are in the final bill.

Democracy Defenders Action brings together a nonpartisan team to work with national, state, and local allies across the country committed to upholding the rule of law, fighting against autocracy and defending the Constitution.