Credit: Congresswoman Laurel Lee/Facebook

A dozen members of Florida’s Republican congressional delegation announced Monday morning that they support the GOP-written economic and domestic policy bill dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” and urged their colleagues to do likewise.

The U.S. Senate is poised to vote on the bill later on Monday. If approved, it would bounce back to the U.S. House for consideration. Republicans aim to place the bill in front of President Trump by July 4.

“The One Big Beautiful Bill Act will lower taxes for hardworking families, seniors and small businesses, protect Medicaid and strengthen America’s border security,” their letter reads. “We are committed to seeing this bill become law on behalf of all Floridians.”

Signing the letter were Aaron Bean, Vern Buchanan, Byron Donalds, Neal Dunn, Randy Fine, Carlos Giménez, Mike Haridopolos, Laurel Lee, Anna Paulina Luna, Brian Mast, Jimmy Patronis, and Daniel Webster.

Eight Florida House Republicans did not. They are Kat Cammack, Maria Elvira Salazar, Mario Diaz-Balart, Gus Bilirakis, Scott Franklin, Cory Mills, John Rutherford, and Greg Steube.

Medicaid cuts

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has said that the Senate bill would cut more than $930 billion from Medicaid. But the Florida congressional Republicans say in their letter that the bill is “protecting and strengthening for American citizens who need it by rooting out waste, fraud and abuse, and implementing common sense work requirements.”

Florida Sen. Rick Scott and several other GOP members of the Senate announced on Sunday that they are introducing an amendment that would end the existing system under which the federal government pays 90% of the costs in states that have expanded Medicaid based on the Affordable Care Act.

Beneficiaries enrolled before Dec. 31, 2030, would be grandfathered in at the existing rate, but new enrollees would see their medical costs reimbursed at the lower Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) rate, which could be as low as 50%. The CBO says that the amendment, if passed, would save an additional $313 billion in federal spending, according to The Hill.

“Critics of the bill’s Medicaid fixes fail to mention the millions of able-bodied adults who access Medicaid while refusing to work,” the Florida Republicans assert in their letter.

“Through the Affordable Care Act, Democrats expanded Medicaid eligibility to include any adult earning 138 percent of the federal poverty level and below. Florida has not opted to expand Medicaid to this population. The Council of Economic Advisors estimates that less than $1.5 billion of federal Medicaid dollars are spent on childless, non-working, able-bodied adults in Florida — less than in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Washington, Michigan and Arizona.

“This means that Floridians’ federal tax dollars are subsidizing Medicaid for able-bodied adults in less populous, Democrat-run states. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act institutes common-sense work requirements that will increase labor participation and reserve Medicaid dollars for those who need them most: the elderly, pregnant women, pregnant women, disabled Americans and needy children.”

The Florida Republicans in their letter also highlight provisions that would eliminate taxes on tips and overtime pay for low- and medium-wage workers.

“Over 193,000 workers across the Sunshine State are employed as restaurant servers, making Florida one of the states with the highest employment level of waiters and waitresses,” the letter reads.

“Tips account for approximately 21.3 percent of Florida restaurant workers’ incomes, meaning these workers depend heavily on customer generosity and see significant unpredictability in their earnings. Similarly, Floridians who receive overtime pay, including our brave men and women in law enforcement, go above-and-beyond every day to make ends meet. Exempting tips and overtime pay from federal income tax will bring financial stability to hundreds of thousands of Floridians.”

Polls show opposition to the legislation

All members of the Florida Democratic congressional legislative delegation opposed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” when it came before the House on May 22. They all are expected to oppose it again if the Senate passes its version of the bill this week.

The legislation is viewed unfavorably by 64% of Americans, according to a KFF health tracking poll of 1,321 adults conducted June 4-8, with a margin for error of three percentage points.

Another survey conducted by Fox News of 1,003 registered voters found that 59% oppose the bill with just 38% supporting it. That survey was conducted between June 13-16.

Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com.

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This article appears in Jun 26 – Jul 2, 2025.