LDS Families Know Fiscal Responsibility — This Tax Bill Isn’t It
COMMENTARY

July 2, 2025by Emma Petty Addams, Co-Executive Director, Mormon Women for Ethical Government
LDS Families Know Fiscal Responsibility — This Tax Bill Isn’t It
FILE - People walk past small businesses in Doylestown, Pa., Nov. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

As the House prepares for a final vote on President Donald Trump’s sweeping reconciliation package, it’s worth pausing to ask a basic question: What, exactly, makes a bill fiscally responsible?

As someone who values limited government, strong families and wise stewardship, I understand the instinct behind this legislation. America’s debt trajectory is unsustainable.

Many of us are rightly concerned that Washington spends too much without asking hard questions about trade-offs or outcomes. Reining in waste and expanding opportunity are goals worth pursuing.

But as this bill moves forward, I worry we’ve mistaken aggressive cost-cutting for true fiscal responsibility — and in doing so, we risk doing real harm to some of the most vulnerable members of our communities, especially children.

To be clear, there are parts of this bill I’m deeply grateful for. The adjustment of the child tax credit to account for inflation, for example, is a welcome step. Conservatives and progressives alike have long recognized that strong families are the backbone of a strong society, and the child tax credit helps working parents meet basic needs, reduces child poverty and affirms the dignity of family life.

I’m also grateful to lawmakers like Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, for working to ensure some continuity and clarity for clean energy tax credits and rural innovation — work that reflects both long-term economic thinking and responsible environmental care.

But taken as a whole, this package is deeply imbalanced.

The same bill that adds approximately $3.3 trillion to the national debt also cuts health care and food assistance for millions of Americans. According to one estimate, 17 million people could lose their health coverage. Cuts to SNAP, even after negotiations, would still remove food support from legal immigrants, stay-at-home parents, those who care for the elderly and families working multiple jobs just to stay afloat.

True conservatism doesn’t mean ignoring the human consequences of policy. It means asking tough questions, yes — but also acting with prudence, humility and compassion.

If the goal is to promote personal responsibility, why are we punishing parents who’ve made the decision to stay home and raise their children? If we value strong communities, why are we pulling support from refugees and asylum seekers who have already made legal, often harrowing, journeys to become part of the American story?

And if the goal is to reduce government overreach and inefficiency, why does this bill simultaneously create new penalties, new exclusions and layers of administrative complexity that make it harder for families to access basic help when they need it most?

The truth is, we don’t need to choose between being responsible with public money and being responsive to human need. Good governance should mean living within our means and protecting the vulnerable. 

I know many Republican leaders have resisted provisions that would have gone even further — like the proposed excise tax on clean energy or attempts to roll back all Medicaid-expansion funding. I especially appreciated Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s candor when she said she “struggled mightily” with the impact of the bill on those who are barely getting by. That kind of moral wrestling is what we should want in our leaders.

But that moral wrestling needs to be paired with moral action. 

I worry that in the rush to secure a win before July 4, Congress is running ahead of itself. No bill this big and this consequential should be passed without careful reflection and honest debate. It’s okay to take a breath, hit pause and fix what needs fixing. The country — and this coalition — will be stronger for it.

In our own homes, many of us manage budgets. We know what it means to be frugal. But we also know the difference between cutting costs and cutting corners. No parent would balance a household budget by skipping meals for the youngest child or canceling doctor’s appointments for a sick relative.

We know that some things — some people — are worth protecting, even when money is tight. Congress should remember that.

Let’s build a strong economy, yes. But let’s also build a society that cares for families, honors human dignity and protects the next generation.

That’s the kind of responsibility America truly needs.


Emma Petty Addams is the co-executive director of Mormon Women for Ethical Government. She can be reached by email.

A+
a-

In The News

Health

Voting

Opinions

Small-Molecule Drugs Fuel the US Economy

The Inflation Reduction Act represents a landmark shift in U.S. drug pricing regulation, introducing direct federal negotiation of drug prices... Read More

The Inflation Reduction Act represents a landmark shift in U.S. drug pricing regulation, introducing direct federal negotiation of drug prices for the first time. Notably, the IRA imposes earlier price negotiation timelines for small-molecule drugs (nine years post-approval) than for biologics (13 years). This is unwise.... Read More

The Solution to Trump’s Immigration Debacle? Immigration Reform

Since June 6, immigration enforcement operations have surged across Los Angeles. In just the first 10 days of June, 722 individuals... Read More

Since June 6, immigration enforcement operations have surged across Los Angeles. In just the first 10 days of June, 722 individuals were arrested, according to the Deportation Data Project. But the data tells a deeper story: 417 individuals had no criminal record; 84 others had pending charges;... Read More

Medicaid Helps Me Be a Mom — and a Survivor

Receiving a cancer diagnosis is life-altering. So is raising a child with profound disabilities. Managing both at once, with treatment... Read More

Receiving a cancer diagnosis is life-altering. So is raising a child with profound disabilities. Managing both at once, with treatment plans, caregiving decisions and financial burdens, can feel nearly impossible. I never imagined I would face stage 3 breast cancer while also ensuring care for my... Read More

Federal Debt, AI and a Warning for Future US Investment and Economic Security

The United States is approaching an inflection point, one defined not by a single crisis, but by the confluence of... Read More

The United States is approaching an inflection point, one defined not by a single crisis, but by the confluence of several slowly building threats to its long-term economic and national security. These threats include the growing federal debt that threatens the market for U.S. Treasurys, transformative... Read More

July 3, 2025
by Andres Ramirez
Ballot Access: How State and Local Election Officials Are Shaping Voter Registration and Participation

The United States has long relied on a decentralized approach to elections, with state and local officials holding primary responsibility... Read More

The United States has long relied on a decentralized approach to elections, with state and local officials holding primary responsibility for voter registration and participation. This structure became even more consequential after the Supreme Court’s 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision, which weakened federal oversight and... Read More

LDS Families Know Fiscal Responsibility — This Tax Bill Isn’t It

As the House prepares for a final vote on President Donald Trump’s sweeping reconciliation package, it’s worth pausing to ask... Read More

As the House prepares for a final vote on President Donald Trump’s sweeping reconciliation package, it’s worth pausing to ask a basic question: What, exactly, makes a bill fiscally responsible? As someone who values limited government, strong families and wise stewardship, I understand the instinct behind... Read More

News From The Well
scroll top