‘Big beautiful bill:’ Here’s how many people will see higher monthly bills in Lansing, South Lyon, and Howell this year—and the politician who let it happen

District 7 faces more than $565 million in financial losses tied to GOP-supported spending cuts.

Michiganders living near Lansing will lose more than half a billion dollars in federal funding this year—a move that health officials and economists say could leave tens of thousands of families without health care, while driving up household utility bills.

READ MORE: Opinion: The ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill Act’ puts the health of everyone in Michigan at risk

The legislation behind the cuts, known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” was championed by Republican lawmakers and ultimately signed into law by President Trump on the Fourth of July. It delivers sweeping tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans—but pays for those cuts by slashing funding for public programs and repealing clean-energy tax credits that were keeping utility bills low for Michiganders.

In Michigan’s 7th Congressional District—which includes nearly 800,000 residents in Ingham County, Livingston County, and the cities of Lansing, Bellevue, Howell, and St. Johns—the financial losses are expected to total more than $565 million in 2025 alone. The largest portion, about $544 million, comes from changes to Medicaid, which will shift more of the program’s cost burden to states and result in an estimated 60,000 residents losing their coverage.

RELATED: Michigan Republicans pass bill to carve out tax breaks for the wealthy atop health care cuts

The remainder of the losses will show up gradually as energy bills begin to climb, according to new analysis from Energy Innovation. By 2026, the bill’s rollback of renewable energy tax incentives is expected to raise household utility costs by $110 per year with annual rate increases continuing through 2035. 

While the timing of those hikes will vary by utility provider, analysts say Michigan ratepayers are likely to see some of the highest increases in the Midwest.

Critics of the new law say it amounts to a cost transfer—away from billionaires and toward everyday residents—particularly in states like Michigan, where Medicaid expansion and clean-energy development have played a central role in economic recovery.

RELATED: Trump slams brakes on Michigan’s clean energy future

How we got here—and who’s behind it

The ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’s” path to passage was razor-thin. On July 1, the US Senate approved the bill in a 51-50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote. Both senators from Michigan—Sen. Elissa Slotkin and Sen. Gary Peters—voted no on the bill.

The legislation was then returned to the US House of Representatives, where it passed just days before the Fourth of July holiday. It was signed into law by Trump shortly afterward.

The Republican who represents Michigan’s 7th Congressional District in the House voted yes on the bill. Congressman Tom Barrett described the bill as a “pro-growth” measure, despite concerns from local health officials and Democrats that the Medicaid cuts could overwhelm rural hospitals and disrupt care for seniors and low-income families. 

“Millions of Michiganders will see their costs go up thanks to Republicans in DC choosing to help billionaires over working families,” Curtis Hertel, chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, said in a statement earlier this month. “Republicans are trying to gut Medicaid and SNAP programs and put thousands of jobs and even more lives at risk as hospitals are forced to close and families lose coverage.”

READ MORE: 7 Michigan Republicans vote to help Trump gut health care for 200,000 Michiganders

Barrett, who has previously faced scrutiny over his political and personal conduct, is planning to seek reelection to continue representing the 7th District in Congress in 2026. 

Over the past two years, Barrett’s career has been marked by several controversies: In 2024, his campaign published an incorrect election date in a Black-owned newspaper, drawing accusations of voter suppression and prompting a cease-and-desist from the state attorney general. In 2023, he failed to file a required personal financial disclosure for months, raising questions about transparency.

Impact will be felt across the Mitten

Statewide, Michigan is projected to lose $1.1 billion per year in Medicaid funding under the new law. The change comes as the state also prepares to absorb a greater share of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) administrative costs beginning in 2027, further straining the overall budget.

The Urban Institute, a nonprofit Washington-based policy group, estimates that across the country, more than 22 million families will lose some or all of their federal benefits under the law. In Michigan alone, analysts project between 120,000 and 160,000 households could see their benefits reduced or eliminated.

For the residents of Clinton, Ingham, and neighboring counties in this district, that means more than just a line in the state budget. And with those cuts already taking shape, the consequences for families in Mid-Michigan are becoming harder to ignore.