I hate big bills and I cannot lie

I’m starting my third year writing this column as a Gazette Editorial Fellow. At first, I thought it would be hard to come up with ideas week after week. I have learned that just the opposite is true.

The problem is that there are too many things I want to write about! The U.S. just bombed Iran, we have the first American Pope. The primary and general election battles in Iowa for 2026 are beginning to take shape. There is a peace agreement between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. Israel and Iran have agreed to a cease-fire. There was a political assassination in Minnesota. Gov. Kim Reynolds vetoed HF 639 on eminent domain. The Supreme Court sort of ruled on birthright citizenship.

Ultimately, I had to select a topic. So, for my introduction, I asked my friend ChatGPT to help me paraphrase that great American poet, Sir Mix-A-Lot:

I hate big bills and I cannot lie

All you Congress folks can’t deny

When a clerk walks in with a stack that’s thick

Full of junk and tricks—it makes me sick!

I like it clear, concise, and tight

Not a doorstop you pass at night

You say it’s “great,” say it’s “Trump-approved”

Now they cheer like it just got groove!

As I write this column, the Senate is getting ready to vote on One Big Beautiful Bill Act, or OBBBA. I identify as a conservative first and a Republican second. In all honesty, I agree with several provisions in the OBBBA, but I also take issue with many others. Ultimately, I want the OBBBA to fail.

I expect some of my MAGA friends will be quick to point out that my opposition puts me on the same side as Elizabeth Warren and Elon Musk (who has quickly fallen from MAGA grace). I hated big bills back when it was cool!

When Obamacare was up for a vote, it was conservative Republicans who complained that the bill was too long and complex, and being rushed to a vote before anyone had time to read it. House Minority Leader John Boehner argued against the bill on the House floor. He shouted:

Have you read the bill? … Hell no! You haven’t!

I remember when “read the bill” was the rallying cry of conservative Republicans. Looking at the Iowa GOP Platform as far back as 2000, I see planks calling for bills to be focused on a single subject. Many Tea Party Republicans ran on a platform calling for single-subject bills.

Today, things have changed; many of those same firebrands who once called for transparent, focused legislation are now willing to vote for the OBBBA as long as their pet issue is addressed. The result is that the bill got bigger and less beautiful over time.

The OBBBA, like other omnibus bills gives legislators an easy out. Every Republican can return to their district and point out the benefits. For example, GOP House Members are touting increases in the standard deduction, lower tax brackets, benefits for small businesses, border security, and energy independence. Few are following Kentucky Senator Rand Paul’s lead and calling out the increase in the debt from the OBBBA. As recently as last year, conservative Republicans were opposed to raising the debt ceiling.

By the time this column is published, the OBBBA will likely have passed the Senate. I hope, ultimately, it fails! There are plenty of good things in the bill, but there are a lot of things in the bill that would not survive an open debate and recorded vote. Congress needs to consider the things in the OBBA individually, openly, and transparently. Finally, they need to vote on each one, up or down.

Then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi famously said in 2010:

We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what’s in it.

Sadly, I predict that OBBA will pass, and then we will find out what’s in it!

David Chung is a Gazette editorial fellow. david.chung@thegazette.com