Readers respond: ‘Big, beautiful bill' must be repealed

What kind of future are we building together? We can do better than choosing to allow millions more people in our country to go hungry while choosing to prioritize the wealthy's insatiable hunger for more. We are capable of greater moral vision than the harm being done to Oregonians and people across the country through H.R. 1, the so-called 'Big Beautiful Bill.' As senior minister of First Unitarian Portland, I join faith leaders and communities of conscience – religious and nonreligious – in calling for the repeal of H.R. 1. Our congregation has joined Covenant for our Future, a multifaith, multi-issue movement grounded in the simple moral truth: our wellbeing is bound up together. Here in Oregon, the consequences of H.R. 1 are already being felt. Tens of thousands of people have lost food assistance in the last year, straining food banks and leaving more families struggling with hunger. Cuts to Medicaid threaten the Oregon Health Plan, which provides healthcare access to over half of Oregon's children, and the problems will grow. In 2027, close to a quarter of a million Oregonians risk losing healthcare coverage.Budgets are moral documents. They reveal whose lives we value and what kind of future we are building.We can choose differently. MORE BY LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Readers respond: I-5 closure cheaper for whom?Sep. 6, 2026, 6:00 a.m. Readers respond: A disturbing pairing of storiesSep. 4, 2026, 7:00 a.m. Join us in calling, writing or visiting with your congressional representatives, and ask them to repeal H.R. 1 and to pass legislation which protects the basic needs and dignity of our neighbors. Rev. Alison Miller, Portland Miller is senior minister of First Unitarian Portland.