
Photo Credit: Alex Green/Pexel
“Everybody will see daily costs go up, like health care, utility bills, and food to help Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos make more money.”
Residents in Michigan’s 8th Congressional District—including Flint and the Tri-Cities of Saginaw, Bay City, and Midland—are set to lose millions of dollars in federal aid this year under the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” a sweeping Republican spending package signed into law by President Trump on the Fourth of July.
The legislation, which narrowly passed in a 51-50 vote by Congress on July 1 with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote in the Senate, delivers tax cuts to the wealthy and major corporations. It pays for those cuts by slashing funding for Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and renewable energy tax credits that have kept Michigan utility bills low.
It is 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
How hard will it hit Michiganders?
The 8th Congressional District, home to nearly 800,000 residents across Genesee County, Saginaw County, Bay County, and portions of Midland and Tuscola counties, is projected to lose more than $579 million in 2025 alone. The largest portion, about $544 million, comes from changes to Medicaid, along with another $35.7 million in SNAP reductions. Analysts estimate that 60,000 residents will lose coverage, amounting to a $748 loss per person across the district.
RELATED: Michigan Republicans pass bill to carve out tax breaks for the wealthy atop health care cuts
But the damage won’t stop at lost benefits. Over time, families will also feel it in their monthly utility bills, 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
Who’s responsible for passing the new law?
Every one of Michigan’s seven Republican representatives in Congress voted to pass the tax bill. Meanwhile, Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet, a Democrat who represents the 8th Congressional District, voted against the bill and has since emerged as one of its most vocal critics.
As a congresswoman, McDonald Rivet has supported efforts to improve economic competitiveness in the region, especially tax incentives for manufacturing and research. Since Trump’s push for billionaire tax cuts began, McDonald Rivet has warned that the “One Big Beautiful Bill” would leave too many Michiganders behind.
“Life is already too expensive for Michigan families, and this bill is going to make it worse,” she said in a statement. “Everybody will see daily costs go up, like health care, utility bills, and food to help Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos make more money.”
READ MORE: 7 Michigan Republicans vote to help Trump gut health care for 200,000 Michiganders
Statewide, Michigan is projected to lose $1.1 billion per year in Medicaid funding under the new law. State officials say the new law shifts costs onto the state without providing flexibility or adequate time to adjust, creating a fiscal cliff that could destabilize rural hospitals and urban clinics alike.
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.
In Flint and across the Tri-Cities, families who rely on public programs are bracing for impact.

‘Big beautiful bill’ will end Medicaid for people in Ingham, Shiawassee, and Livingston counties this year. Here’s how many will lose it—and who’s responsible
The representative who voted to take away health care from nearly 14,000 Michiganders in his district has been dodging constituents’ questions and...

‘Big beautiful bill’ will end Medicaid for people in Kalamazoo, Holland, and Battle Creek this year. Here’s how many will lose it—and who’s responsible
The representative who voted to take away health care from nearly 15,000 Michiganders in his district is “looking forward” to announcing his...

‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ will cost Michiganders money in 2025—here’s how much, and who’s responsible
From higher utility bills to job cuts across multiple industries, Michiganders can expect their wallets to feel a little thinner this year—and in...

‘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...

Here’s how many people will see higher monthly bills in Kalamazoo, Holland, and Battle Creek this year—and the politician who let it happen
District 4 faces more than $565 million in financial losses tied to GOP-supported spending cuts. Michiganders living in the southwest region of the...