Kean bets big on Trump’s “beautiful bill” in high-stakes vote

In a vote that could make or break his political career, Rep. Tom Kean, Jr. (R-Westfield) today supported legislation once dubbed the “big, beautiful bill” – the core component of President Donald Trump’s second term.

Kean called the bill a big win for middle-class taxpayers, protecting healthcare for vulnerable Americans and combating wasteful federal spending.  He said it raised the cap on the State and Local Tax deduction to $40,000.

Democrats call it a “price hike on New Jersey families” that guts Medicaid.

Democratic State Chairman LeRoy Jones, Jr. said Kean and two other New Jersey Republican congressmen “all bent a knee to Trump and voted yes.”

“They put their loyalty to Trump over New Jersey families,” Jones said.” From skyrocketing healthcare premiums to higher utility bills and mortgage rates, this bill will affect every aspect of our day-to-day lives. It also guts Medicaid and food assistance programs, all to pay for tax breaks for billionaires.”

But Kean, who faces a difficult re-election fight in one of the nation’s most competitive House districts, called the passage of the bill “a major win for New Jerseyans and Americans across the country” and touted a return of the full SALT deduction.

“I never backed down from the fight for SALT relief, standing up to Democrats and Republicans alike to quadruple the deduction to $40,000,” he said. “I also stood with American innovators, voting to renew R&D tax credits for the research and development that businesses do to fuel ingenuity and job creation.”

The two-term congressman said he voted to safeguard Medicaid, permanently increase the Child Tax Credit to $2,200, and help secure the border, propel American energy and advancement, and strengthen the nation’s national security.

“Once President Trump signs this bill into law, life will become more affordable for residents of New Jersey’s 7th district.  They will see immediate tax relief, greater transparency from Washington, and more support for innovation,” Kean said.  “This is a crucial step toward a stronger, more secure future for the next generation.”

One of Kean’s potential Democratic opponents, former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot Rebecca Bennett, said the GOP congressman’s vote makes it “harder for families by raising costs, exploding the deficit, and ripping healthcare away from more than 20,000 people across our district.”

“That’s not leadership — that’s dereliction of duty,” Bennett said.  “Tom Kean Jr. just voted to give more tax breaks to billionaires at the expense of parents, seniors, and kids. He couldn’t even keep his word about lowering our taxes when his MAGA Republican bosses told him how to vote. We will hold Tom Kean Jr. accountable for this indefensible vote.”

Tina Shah, a practicing physician who worked in the Obama and Biden administrations, said she was “furious that Tom Kean Jr. voted to cut Medicaid and healthcare access so he could give billionaires tax breaks.”

“As an ICU physician, I’ve had countless patients saved because they could access care. Kean Jr. is heartlessly taking that away from my patients, our neighbors, and the most vulnerable in our community,” stated Shah.  “Enough is enough – New Jersey deserves a doctor in Congress who will fight to protect care.”

A third candidate, businessman Brian Verala, also panned Kean’s vote.

“Tom Kean Jr had a choice: stand with working families or stand with Trump’s agenda to gut healthcare. He chose Trump,” said Varela. “With his deciding vote, Kean betrayed every family in our district who depends on Medicaid, every senior worried about Medicare cuts, and every parent struggling to afford their child’s healthcare,” Verala said.  “This wasn’t just a bad vote – it was a fundamental abandonment of the people he was elected to serve.”

U.S. Senator Andy Kim said the measure approved by House Republicans is “a direct attack on people’s lives.”

He called out the three Republicans from New Jersey who helped pass the bill by a vote of 218-214.

“Tom Kean, Jr. broke his promise and voted to continue the SALT tax cap for another decade instead of just letting the cap expire this year.  Jeff Van Drew said he wouldn’t support cuts for Americans eligible for Medicaid, but then just voted to gut care for hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans.  Chris Smith represents a large senior population in our state that I represented in the House for four years, and I know can’t afford these painful cuts to Medicaid and SNAP,” said Kim.

Kim called the Trump-backed law “reckless and cruel.”

“I won’t sugarcoat it, this is heartbreaking,” Kim said.  Trump’s budget will take health care away from millions of people by gutting Medicaid. It will rip food assistance away from struggling families. It would raise energy costs for working Americans by slashing funding for clean energy – just so billionaires can get yet another tax break.”

Kean maintains that the bill is a win for New Jersey.

He cited a restoration of Medicaid integrity and claims that the state’s healthcare providers will receive additional funding starting next year, strengthen border control, eliminate a bad law that slowed the development of drugs for patients with rare diseases, many developed in New Jersey. Kean also pointed to a $12.5 billion overhaul of air traffic control systems.

He also plugged a provision that would reimburse state and local law enforcement for costs incurred when Trump is at his home in Bedminster.