As of Friday afternoon, more than 10,000 people have signed a Christian petition condemning President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill” as an “immoral and cruel” bill.
The petition was published May 30 by Faithful America—which on its website calls itself “the largest online community of Christians” whose members “are sick of sitting by quietly while Jesus’ message of good news is hijacked by the religious right to serve a hateful political agenda”—blasts Trump’s massive financial proposal as anti-Christian.
“Trump’s proposed budget turns Biblical values upside down. It rewards the wealthiest Americans with tax cuts while brutalizing the most vulnerable with massive cuts to critical social programs,” the petition reads. “If it passes, millions of Americans will suffer as a result.”
Why It Matters
While the budget proposal has received its fair share of criticism from Democrats and some Republicans over its impact on social safety net programs and the federal government’s deficit, Christians have largely supported Trump during the presidential election.
According to the Associated Press, roughly eight in 10 white evangelicals supported him in 2020 and 2024.
What To Know
In its petition, Faithful America calls out the Trump-backed House budget proposal: “It is immoral and cruel to deprive people of health care, access to affordable food, and educational opportunities to satisfy a few individuals who have more money than they could spend in a lifetime. Tens of millions of Americans will suffer if this budget advances. This budget is a direct violation of Jesus’ teachings to love and care for the poor.”
Trump‘s “big beautiful bill” includes permanence for the individual income and estate tax cuts enacted in his first term. It also features new exemptions for tipped income, overtime pay and interest on certain auto loans, designed to target working-class voters.
The bill would increase the standard deduction and includes a temporary $500 boost to the child tax credit for tax years 2025 through 2028.
But the spending plan also outlines nearly $700 billion in cuts to Medicaid, including new eligibility requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents—a requirement for 80 hours per month of work, education or service. Recipients would also face biannual eligibility verification.
Democrats have criticized the proposal, warning of possible increases in premiums and reductions in health care and food assistance for millions.
“This budget is the antithesis of Jesus’ teachings. It harms millions of Americans while benefiting only the wealthiest in our country,” the Rev. Dr. Shannon Fleck, executive director of Faithful America, told Newsweek. “Trump and his followers’ rhetoric is not in alignment with the majority of Americans, and it’s incumbent on all American Christians who love our neighbors and want a nation made of love and opportunity for all to speak out loudly in opposition to the damaging and harmful proposal.”
The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the bill would increase the U.S. federal debt by $2.4 trillion from 2025 to 2034, while reducing taxes by $3.75 trillion over the same period. The analysis was released as the bill moved from the House to the Senate for further debate.
While some Republicans have voiced concern over debt implications, Trump’s allies have argued that the official estimates do not fully account for economic growth they claim will result from the tax cuts.
The House of Representatives narrowly passed the bill of more than 1,000 pages by a vote of 215–214, following prolonged negotiations and deep divisions within Republican ranks. All House Democrats and two Republican representatives voted against it.
“As Christians, we know that budgets are moral documents,” Faithful America wrote on its website. “And the budget reconciliation bill currently making its way through Congress says dire things about what the Trump regime values — and who it is willing to leave behind.”
In March, the group also launched a petition against Trump’s efforts to dismantle the Department of Education, saying the action corrupted the Christian faith.
“It’s clear Christian nationalists want to take full advantage of [Trump’s efforts]. But forcing Christianity on others doesn’t spread our faith, it corrupts it,” the prior petition said.
Still, three months into Trump’s second term, white evangelical protestants were some of his staunchest supporters, according to Pew Research Center think tank, which suggested 72 percent approved of Trump’s handling of the presidency.
What People Are Saying
Fleck also told Newsweek: “There is nothing beautiful about Trump’s budget proposal. It’s really a big betrayal and yet another example of the Project 2025 agenda: cutting funding that aids vulnerable communities and pitting them against one another while using that money to provide tax cuts for Trump and his billionaire friends to line their own pockets.”
Alex Beene, financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek: “One subject continuously discussed in the proposed budget is cuts to important programs that provided services to tens of millions of Americans, many of which voted for the current administration. New requirements could have a dramatic effect on the number of those who qualify, and the loss of healthcare coverage could be devastating, particularly to states which lean heavily on the federal funding these programs provide.”
What Happens Next
The bill is now under debate in the Senate, where Republicans hold a slim majority. Several in the GOP have signaled opposition or uncertainty, citing provisions related to the debt ceiling and deficit spending. Modifications are expected before any final vote.
“It’s no surprise some religious groups are making moves to attempt to stop the bill’s progression and get Congress to reassess some of the proposed cuts,” Beene said.
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