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‘Big Ugly Bill’: Rep. Robin Kelly talks reconciliation bill fallout, Senate run at Peoria roundtable
‘Big Ugly Bill’: Rep. Robin Kelly talks reconciliation bill fallout, Senate run at Peoria roundtable
Source: WMBD
PEORIA, ILL. (WMBD) — U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) is calling the GOP-led budget reconciliation bill a “Big Ugly Bill,” warning it will devastate rural health care and food assistance programs in Illinois.
Kelly, who represents Chicago but has strong ties to Peoria, hosted a community roundtable at Peoria Public Library to discuss the local impact of the reconciliation bill, particularly access to healthcare and food assistance programs. She is also running to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). in 2026.
“It’s not just about the stats. They are real people behind those stats, and really, I was one of them,” she said. “I was teary when that bill passed because it just hurt me that we would do something like that. It’s really going to hurt more rural areas that already don’t have access to healthcare.”
Republicans argue the legislation is a necessary step to rein in federal spending and reduce the national deficit. They said programs like Medicaid and SNAP have grown too large and unsustainable, and the bill encourages personal responsibility.
But Kelly doesn’t see it that way. She warned devastating ripple effects of the massive cuts, especially to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicaid, will be felt by everyone, not just those losing benefits.
“When people don’t have health care, they go to the emergency room, which is more expensive. That’s going to come back on all of us, and then nine rural hospitals are going to close,” she said. “When SNAP is cut, Kroger stops buying from farmers, and then they don’t need as many workers. Its all connected. We are all in this together.”
And if you still think you won’t be affected, think again. Kelly said the nearly 1,000 page bill is filled with provisions harmful to Americans.
“People could realize that we could say is happening to that person, but sooner or later we’re going to be that person just because of all the things that were in the bill. And people are going to lose their health care,” she said. “When we talk about the Big Ugly Bill, you guys know about it, but in polling and different things that we’ve done, half of the population doesn’t even realize what’s going on.”
The roundtable included residents who shared personal stories of rising costs and canceled coverage. One woman, a former healthcare administrator, said she already received a cancellation letter for her ACA Health Alliance plan.
“So this bill is absolutely terrifying and I’m appalled what we’re doing. The remaining plans that will exist for me will actually increase my cost by approximately $1,000 a month for one person,” she said.
After more than 12 years in Congress representing Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District, which stretches from Chicago to Danville, Kelly is now looking ahead to the Senate. Over her career, she’s held a range of leadership roles: from local government as a village trustee, to the General Assembly as a state representative, to executive roles including chief of staff to then-Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and a senior administrator in Cook County.
“I’m an effective leader. I’ve worked on every level of government,” she said.
For Kelly, Peoria isn’t just a campaign stop. She a two-time Bradley University graduate and former director of the crisis nursery at Crittenton Centers. Her kids were even born at Carle Methodist Hospital.
“Bradley has gotten everything out of me. I’ve been a student to two degrees. I worked for the institution. I was on the Board of Trustees two different times, and I was on the search committee that now wound up with Judge Shadid as president,” Kelly said.
Kelly pledged to continue working across the aisle if elected to the Senate. She said she has demonstrated her effectiveness working with Republicans during the last 12 years in the House. Her first bill, the bipartisan Action for Dental Health Act, secured dental care for unserved and underserved communities.
“I do know how to work across the aisle and frankly get things done. I’m a workhorse, not a show horse,” she said.
By Shabnam Danesh