Editor:
In reference to Congressman Rick Allen's Letter to the Editor in the July 17, 2025 Statesboro Herald.
Congressman Allen, you are wrong about HR 1 "The Big Beautiful Bill" (BBB). You stated that the economy will thrive. Experts disagree. This bill is really, really bad for Georgia!
Housing sales have stagnated and are dropping in Atlanta due to higher mortgage rates — around 7% because investors are fearful of the growing national debt and this bill adds $3.6 trillion in debt. Mortgage rates are higher than when Trump took office.
The Wharton School of Business says that over the next 30 years, wages will drop by 3.4% and the GDP will be reduced by 4.6%.
The bill guts the tax benefits and incentives for Georgia's green economy, including our brand new $7 billion Hyundai plant and all the local suppliers. A battery recycling plant has been cancelled. Multiple sources have predicted a whopping loss of 42,000 Green Energy jobs in Georgia, including pulling the plug on a factory here in Bulloch County!
In a two-year period, because of a bipartisan approach through President Joe Biden and Gov. Brian Kemp, Georgia had the fastest industrialization of any state in history because of all the new battery plants and EV plants.
Gov. Kemp has already reacted to the loss of federal funds for education and health care by freezing state spending for the next year.
As a result of the bill, it is likely that some of our state's rural hospitals will have to close, including those in your district. The Georgia Budget and Policy Institute estimates that over 750,000 Georgians will lose their health care coverage.
Georgia Southern University and all the other higher education facilities in your district will suffer because of the BBB's adjustments to Pell Grants (Georgia is number two in Pell Grants in the south).
Federal student loans have new restrictions, and the Pell Grant changes will produce $270.5 billion in federal savings.
The GI Bill has the highest return of investment of any government program with $16 tax dollars in revenue versus a dollar spent: 16 to 1! Higher education lifts people out of generational poverty and crime.
Trump's record high tariffs (taxes on the consumer) and the BBB will hurt Georgia Ports, which produce 609,000 jobs in Georgia and $5.3 billion in taxes.
You supported the bill that provides a massive budget increase for border patrol of $170.7 billion. Georgia is not a border state, but our farmers, hotels, restaurants rely on tax paying immigrants. Georgia farmers are already hurting. Restaurants had to close due to ICE raids and lawnmowers were left running. Chicken is at a record high.
You said that there are tax savings for everyone. The first $1 trillion goes to the top one percent of earners. In Georgia, 73% of the tax savings are for the top 20% highest earning households. The bottom 60% of Georgia household earners receive just 12% of the tax savings but 100% of this bill's pain!
Representative Allen, who do you represent?
Todd Hoover
Statesboro