US Rep. Tom Suozzi stood by his decision to vote against the One Big Beautiful Bill Act despite acknowledging that he agrees with roughly three-quarters of the megabill.
“Because those things that I just mentioned are so devastating,” Suozzi (D-NY) told CBS News’ “Face the Nation” Sunday when pressed about his opposition to the megabill.
“I like the idea that we’re investing more money to secure the border,” said Suozzi, who represents Long Island and part of Queens. “I like the idea that we are providing tax breaks to lower-income folks and hard-working middle-class folks and people aspiring to the middle class.”
Host Weijia Jiang had pointed to his recent comments about favoring the bulk of President Trump’s marquee agenda bill. Last month, Suozzi told Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, “I agree with 75% of the stuff that’s in the big bill that you guys talk about.”
But the Empire State Democrat argued that preserving the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act’s lower rates for the wealthy, the Medicaid cuts and the deficit impact of the megabill were too much for him to stomach.
“When the economy is doing as well as it has been over the past several years, why would we be providing a tax decrease — tax breaks for some of the wealthiest Americans in our country, while blowing a massive hole in the deficit?” Suozzi added on “Face the Nation.”
Republicans slashed taxes across the board in 2017 and placed a strong emphasis on reducing the burden on businesses. Proponents of the cuts on the top income tax brackets argued that it will affect small businesses that pay their bills to Uncle Sam as pass-throughs.
High-income taxpayers are forced to pay into every tax bracket, so cutting every tax bracket reduces their obligations to the government.
However, there is some evidence that the top 1% of households paid a larger share of federal taxes after the 2017 tax bill than before it, meaning that taxes were about to go up across the board.
If Congress failed to act, many key provisions of the 2017 tax cut would expire at the end of the year.
Suozzi also ripped into the GOP’s inclusion of work requirements on Medicaid, noting that “92% of the people that are able to work are currently working, and the 8% that are not are often people that are taking care of disabled children.”
“Why would we be taking health insurance and food benefits away from some of the most needy Americans while we’re providing what I believe is an unnecessary tax break for some of the wealthiest Americans,” he complained.
House Republicans narrowly squeezed the megabill through the lower chamber last week and President Trump signed it into law on Friday during the Fourth of July.
The megabill featured an extension of the 2017 tax cuts, increased energy production, bolstered border security, defense modernization efforts, spending cuts and a slew of other conservative wish list items.
Suozzi also reiterated his concerns that socialist Zohran Mamdani’s shock win in the New York City mayoral Democratic primary should be a wake-up call for his party.
“I disagree with Mr. Mamdani. I have to make that very clear that, you know, I’m a Democratic capitalist. I’m not a Democratic socialist,” Suozzi said.
“But you have to recognize that he tapped into something. He tapped into the same thing that Donald Trump tapped into, which is that people are concerned that the economy is not working for them.”
The Queens and Long Island rep contended that Democrats are often perceived as being “focused on reproductive rights and on LGBT protections” and need to do a better job of addressing affordability concerns.
