GOVERNMENT: Do actions reflect society’s values?

The values of a society are influenced by its leadership and the programs implemented by its government. One example is the “One Big Beautiful Bill” (OBBB), passed by Congress and signed by President Trump, which includes multiple provisions, a few of which are listed below.

One is a tax cut that overwhelmingly benefits the wealthy. Oxfam reports that the top 10 billionaires in the US saw their wealth grow by nearly $700 billion between November 2024 and November 2025. Maybe they really don’t need a tax cut.

The OBBB also cuts funding for Medicaid, SNAP, Foreign Aid, and other social programs, but increases ICE funding by $170 billion. This was presented as necessary to allow ICE to remove the “worst of the worst” of the illegal aliens in our country. The Cato Institute reports that 73% of the people detained by ICE have no criminal convictions, with 5% having violent convictions. ICE enforcement can appear more aggressive than those they detain.

The Center for Global Development estimated (June 2025) that eliminating USAID programs and funding could result in the probable loss of between 500,000 and 700,000 lives annually. A December update of that report revises the estimate to between 670,000 and 1,600,000 lives.

During the recent government shutdown, the administration proposed cutting SNAP funding. This prompted lawsuits, leading lower courts to order the restoration of full funding, which the administration appealed to the Supreme Court. When the shutdown ended, Congress reinstated full funding, but the question remains, “What kind of leadership goes to court to deny help to the most vulnerable among us?”

Do these actions reflect our values, who we are as a society?

ERNEST WARNER

Coeur d’Alene