DAVENPORT — Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders slammed President Donald Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Act,” painting a grim “reality” for Iowans who piled into a standing-only room at the RiverCenter venue in Davenport.
He called the bill “the most dangerous piece of legislation ever” on Friday, Aug. 22, for its drastic effect on housing, health care and education and impact on the nation’s working class.
“You are living in the richest country in the history of the world,” said Sanders, who returned to Iowa for the second time while on his national “Fight Oligarchy” tour. “And yet, despite that reality, 60% of our people are living paycheck to paycheck.”
Individuals want to retire “with diginity and security,” but many workers today “have zero in the bank” as they approach that milestone, he said.
Because of the bill, more young people won’t be able to afford college, and cuts to food assistance programs will make it difficult for families in need to eat.
Sanders, in Davenport, echoed some sentiments he previously shared with Iowans when he first came to the state in February, criticizing Elon Musk and other billionares, and urging them to speak up.
“People can’t just moan and groan about what’s going on,” Sanders told the Des Moines Register in an interview ahead of the event. “They gotta stand up. They gotta fight back.
“They gotta organize, and they gotta demand an agenda from candidates that speaks to the needs of a long-neglected working class and that is prepared to take on the very, very greedy people at the top who seem to want it.”
Ahead of his appearance in Davenport, Sanders met with Escucha Mi Voz organizers and a group of Latino families whose loved ones have been detained, some facing deportation. In the coming days, Sanders will head to Viroqua, Wisconsin; Kalamazoo, Michigan and Chicago.
Republican Party of Iowa Chair Jeff Kaufmann released a statement ahead of Sanders’ visit, describing his tour as “nothing more than a vanity project.”
“The out-of-touch, big-government socialism he’s peddling is the same radical agenda Iowans have rejected time and again at the ballot box,” Kaufmann said. “If this is the future Democrats are offering, it’s no wonder they keep losing ground in Iowa.”
F. Amanda Tugade covers community and faith for the Des Moines Register. Email her at ftugade@dmreg.com or follow her on X @writefelissa.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Sen. Bernie Sanders: ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ ‘the most dangerous piece of legislation ever’
Reporting by F. Amanda Tugade, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
