![Image of the inside of the United States Congress. - [Lawrence Jackson / Wikimedia Commons]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2017/12/20/660x290/b_502x220x82/image-of-the-inside-of-the-united-states-congress-by-lawrence-jackson-via-wikimedia_1743487.jpg "Image of the inside of the United States Congress. - [Lawrence Jackson / Wikimedia Commons]")
This Wednesday, December 20, Congress passed its tax bill through the House for the final time, leaving nothing more than the President's official approval before it can take effect next year. It passed despite the disapproval of every Democratic Congress member and 12 Republican Congress members. Congress' tax scorekeeper believes this bill will add $1 trillion to the American National debt in one decade. A report by FOX News relayed many of the facts presented in this article.
The tax bill will harm the ACA and Medicare
This bill will have two large impacts on healthcare.
It has been used to get rid of the penalty for not purchasing health insurance in 2019. This could, according to the Congressional Budget Office's estimate, result in 13 million people getting rid of their health insurance in ten years. Donald Trump believes that this will impact the number of people who use the Affordable Care Act, which would make it easier to get rid of. He stated, after the bill passed, that "Obamacare has been repealed." The bill could also create up to $25 million in cuts to Medicare by 2019 unless Congress can find another way to solve the deficit problem their bill has caused.
It will also harm environmental regulations
The Republican Tax Bill was a major blow to anyone who cares about America's natural landmarks, or environmentalism in general.
The tax bill snuck in a section that forces the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to let companies drill for oil and gas on Refuge land. It also opens up 2,000 acres in the Coastal Plain for production facilities. The Refuge in question has been described as "the most important caribou (reindeer) habitat in the entire country" by the CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, Collin O’Mara.
The bill will also get rid of the tax cuts available for electric vehicles.
Its effect on the blue states could harm the economy
This bill won't only cause an eventual rise in taxes for the middle class, it will also hurt everyone from the poor to the wealthy living in most blue states. The bill includes several points, like the mortgage deduction cap, that will harm homeowners, and many blue states, like California and New York, have a high-value housing market.
If the housing market becomes less appealing because of these changes then the economy in most blue states could suffer. As the population-heavy blue states support other states with their taxes, the effect on their economy could if large enough, end up bleeding into other states.
