Congress has forgotten the meaning of reconciliation, instead sowing division that harms Oklahomans

Congress is trying to push the so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill” into law through a legislative shortcut known as reconciliation. At its root, reconciliation means restoring harmony, mending what’s broken, and finding common ground.

In our personal lives, it’s a path toward healing. But in Congress, that word has been twisted.

Tiffany Tagbo

It is now being used to force through legislation that would strip health care and food access from millions of Americans, including thousands of Oklahomans, with little debate, no bipartisan support, and devastating consequences for families.

The budget reconciliation process, created in 1974, was designed to fine-tune fiscal policy. It was never meant to serve as a backdoor for major policy changes. It was intended to be used sparingly to balance budgets, not to upend lives. But today, it is being exploited. The current reconciliation bill is being rushed through without transparency, accountability or consensus. And if passed, it will cause real harm right here in Oklahoma.

An estimated 15 million people nationwide could lose their health coverage. As many as 172,000 of them live in Oklahoma — a state already struggling with access to care and ranked near the bottom in health outcomes.

The bill could slash Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits at a time where inflation and food insecurity in our rural communities are spiking. It could end enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits, making insurance unaffordable for working families and seniors. It would also gut Medicaid, a program nearly 1 in 4 Oklahomans depend on.

This is not fiscal responsibility. It is cruelty disguised as policy.

I’ve lived what many families are facing. I remember when my youngest daughter had the flu and needed antibiotics. Our Medicaid had just lapsed due to a paperwork issue. I was told it would take two weeks to reprocess. I sat in my car outside the pharmacy, torn between paying out of pocket for the prescription or keeping our electricity on.

I chose the medicine because, for my family, living without electricity is less harmful than living without medication. I’ll never forget the feeling of panic and helplessness from having to make that choice. But what happens in summertime extreme heat episodes when people need medicine and electricity to survive? There is no choice when living without either could mean death.

That’s the reality of poverty. It is not just numbers on a budget sheet. It is day-to-day survival. It means deciding between food and medication, between health and heat.

These are not abstract policy outcomes. They are real decisions families are forced to make because lawmakers continue to choose politics over people.

The bitter irony is, Congress is using reconciliation to divide and dismantle instead of to heal. The very meaning of the word has been lost in the rush to pass harmful policies. There is nothing reconciliatory about cutting food and health care from families while handing tax breaks to the wealthy.

It’s important to reflect on why our Republican congressional representatives Stephanie Bice, Josh Brecheen, Tom Cole, Frank Lucas, and Kevin Hern chose to support a reconciliation bill that removes vital resources from the very communities they represent.

As a lifelong Oklahoman, I am not just disappointed. I am disheartened. We elect our representatives to fight for us, not to turn a blind eye to our struggles. It is painful to see them back legislation that would cause real harm to the families and communities they swore to protect.

The bill is now in the Senate. Will senators James Lankford and Markwayne Mullin turn their backs on us or will they listen to the voices of their constituents, neighbors and church members who will feel the impact of this bill the most?

Oklahoma has a proud tradition built on the idea of community. We pride ourselves on the Oklahoma Standard, which is neighbors helping neighbors and showing up in times of need. After tornadoes and wildfires, we do not ask who deserves help. We simply give it. But no one, no matter how hardworking, can thrive when the basic supports are stripped away.

Cutting health care and food aid is not aligned with Oklahoma values. It is a betrayal of them.

Hopefully our Oklahoma delegation will choose to lead and show Washington what reconciliation should look like.