Top Dem grabs baseball bat in defiance of GOP's 'big ugly bill'

In an apparent effort of defiance to President Donald Trump’s signature "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) posed for a photo uploaded to social media Wednesday holding a baseball bat, and pledging to continue opposing the GOP megabill.

“House Democrats will keep the pressure on Trump’s One Big Ugly Bill,” Jeffries wrote in the caption alongside the photo.

While the post was largely ridiculed by commenters, a number of them calling it “embarrassing,” Jeffries has remained steadfast in his opposition to the budget reconciliation package, which would extend corporate tax cuts and slash funding to Medicaid and federal food assistance. The bill is also projected to boot 17 million Americans off their health insurance, and nearly five million off food assistance.

Earlier on Wednesday, he made a plea to House Republicans, invoking the late Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) opposition in 2017 to block Republican aspirations to repeal the Affordable Care Act, to die with Democrats in opposing the megabill.

“What type of party would bring a bill to the House floor that rips away Medicaid from those in need?” Jeffries said, The Hill reported.

“What kind of party would bring a bill to the House floor that literally robs food from the mouths of children, veterans and seniors? And all of this is being done to provide massive tax breaks to their billionaire donors. It’s unconscionable, it’s unacceptable, it’s un-American. All we need are four Republicans – just four – to show John McCain-level courage.”

Jeffries' plea is not without cause, with a number of Republican House members having voiced overt opposition to the bill, particularly members of the House Freedom Caucus, who cite concerns over the bill's increase to the national debt, projected to be $3.3 trillion over 10 years according to the Congressional Budget Office.

As of Wednesday afternoon, House members were still deliberating on the bill, the final stop for the bill before either being voted down or passed and sent to Trump’s desk for final approval.