In such a tense and divided political climate, every move President Donald Trump makes is sure to grab headlines. But it can be difficult to gain an understanding of what is going on behind the scenes and the real-life impact of policies, such as tariffs or the controversial “One Big, Beautiful Bill.” I was thrilled to have a returning Legal Lens guest, Congresswoman Linda Sanchez, on the most recent episode of my radio show and podcast because it provides an excellent opportunity for listeners like you to gain insider insights from someone who is on the front line of these pertinent issues impacting our communities and who has dedicated herself to speaking truth to power and bringing law to light.
For a more convenient way to digest this information and inform yourself of these critical issues, I strongly encourage you to listen to my short, engaging 35-minute discussion with Congresswoman Sanchez on my podcast, which you can find on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Simplecast, and everywhere you get your podcasts. for a riveting exploration of the inner workings of Congress, Capitol Hill and policies that impact everyone, regardless of party affiliation.
Congresswoman Linda Sanchez Unpacks Capitol Hill: the Polarization of Congress, “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” Trump Tariffs, and the CHANGE Act
I was delighted to have a longtime friend with whom I attended law school at UCLA on the podcast, Congresswoman Sanchez, to have a candid and sobering discussion on a range of topics, from the polarization of Congress to the recent Trump tariffs to Alzheimer’s and the CHANGE Act. Here is an overview of what we discussed!
Who Is Congresswoman Linda Sanchez?
I consider myself lucky to call Congresswoman Sanchez a close friend. When we discussed our days in law school, she summed up the experience perfectly, saying we were “eager to take on the world.” When you look at what she’s accomplished and continues to accomplish, she’s done just that.
Originally, Sanchez wanted to be a teacher and taught for some time. However, she eventually went to law school, and when the opportunity arose, she ran for Congress and was elected in 2002. The rest, as they say, is history, as she’s been an active political leader for 22 of our 30 years out of law school.
Congresswoman Sanchez represents California’s 38th congressional district, and in her work, she is an unapologetic advocate for the working class. She is also a trailblazer, as the first Latina to serve on the House Ways and Means Trade Committee and the House Judiciary Committee.
In addition to UCLA School of Law, Congresswoman Sanchez graduated from U.C. Berkley for her undergraduate degree. One of her career highlights thus far has been authoring a bill entitled the Gender Equity in Health Premium Act. She also played a major role in getting this bill passed.
Congresswoman Sanchez explained the importance of this bill, “I had introduced a standalone bill, but they included it in the Affordable Care Act, the ACA, and what it simply said was that health insurance companies cannot charge women more for the same healthcare as men just because [they’re] women.”
Prior to being elected to Congress, Sanchez was and still is an attorney, and her work as a lawyer is aligned with her work in politics as she represented clients in the labor movement, and played leadership roles with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), and the Orange County Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO.
Originally from Orange, California, Sanchez is an amazing mom, which is an incredible feat considering all that she has had to juggle. She is also the sixth of seven children in her family, which is an important perspective she brings to her work in politics.
Outside of being a successful Congresswoman who is serving her community, Sanchez is also a dog lover and a Los Angeles Dodgers fan, two worlds that seemingly collided as one of her beloved dogs, which is no longer with us, was named Brooklyn, after the Brooklyn Dodgers. She currently has a Mini Schnauzer named Scully after the late Vin Scully, the MLB commentator and “voice of the Dodgers.”
How Has Political Polarization Influenced the Function of Congress?
When Congresswoman Sanchez was first elected, George W. Bush was the President. In those 22 years, she has seen first-hand a radical partisan shift.
During our conversation, we jokingly reminisced on the naivety of those days as young Democrats thinking Republicans were really conservative and things were challenging under that administration, not knowing how polarized the political landscape would become.
“When I was first elected to Congress and began serving in 2003, Republicans controlled the Senate and controlled the House, and Bush was in the White House,” said Congresswoman Sanchez as she reflected on the change and polarization of Congress in recent years. “At that time, we thought that many of the things we cared about were under attack, but we still had civility in the Congress, and we were still consulted from time to time about legislation and offering amendments to improve legislation. For example, under a Republican-controlled Congress, we were still able to extend the Voting Rights Act, so there was still some basic decency and mutual respect, and we would work together on pieces of legislation. Contrast that to now, and it’s very polarized. Republicans again control the House, the Senate, and the White House, but instead of Congress being an equal branch of government and having some check on Executive Power, the Republican-controlled Congress is more interested in pushing a very partisan agenda than they are working with Democrats,” she explained.
What is the State of Congress Checks and Balances in 2025?
Sanchez explained that this polarization of Congress has had a substantial impact on a key role that Congress is supposed to serve in the broader picture of checks and balances in 2025 and, possibly, beyond.
“[Congress] protects Trump, and they don’t provide the oversight or request of transparency that the American people should have in terms of what is going on in the administration,” explained Congresswoman Sanchez. “They are neglecting many Congressional responsibilities, oversight being chief among them, but they are also giving up powers that Congress was given in the Constitution to the Executive Branch and allowing [Trump] to overreach on those powers. In the space of trade, that is especially true. It’s really alarming because they seem to be set on making Trump a king, accountable to nobody. Even when they disagree with him, they are afraid to speak out. It’s really quite different these days,” she said.
During our conversation, I mentioned that one of the things I am really excited about is an initiative to push back on these kingmaking efforts by Harvard University, as they are providing free courses to educate everyday people on the Constitution and how our Government works. On that note, Congresswoman Sanchez was more than happy to provide a refresher.
“We have three branches of government: the Executive, which is the President; the Judicial, which is our federal court system and the Supreme Court; and the Legislative, which is Congress and the Senate,” said Congresswoman Sanchez. “We are co-equal branches of government, and we were always intended to check the power of other branches so that no one branch grew too powerful. Congress has two major roles in terms of checking Executive Power. One is doing oversight and getting people within the administration in front of our committees to question them about the policies they are implementing, the changes that they are making, or the things that they are doing in our federal agencies so that there is transparency and that the public can know what is going on inside the administration. The other biggie is the Power of the Purse,” she elaborated.
What is the Power of the Purse?
Congresswoman Sanchez provided some expert insight into what the Power of the Purse is and the function it serves, especially as it pertains to federal funding in 2025 and beyond.
“Congress has the power to appropriate money and say what we’re going to spend our money on,” said Congresswoman Sanchez. “We create a budget, and we pass a spending bill. What we are discovering under Trump is he is saying that Congress may have said they are going to give this much money to childcare for working parents or Medicaid, but he’s just not going to give that money. He’s not going to spend it. Well, we have already allocated money in the budget for certain things, whether it’s for cancer research or defense systems development. Whatever it is, Congress gets to say where that money goes, and the President is doing what we call impoundment, where he says, ‘I don’t care what Congress has said about you getting this much money; I’m not going to spend it, and I’m not going to give it to you.’ That is directly undermining Congress’ Power of the Purse,” she explained.
To give a specific example that has impacted the lives of countless Los Angeles Residents, Congresswoman Sanchez brought up FEMA funding for the Wildfires that swept through Los Angeles – an issue that touches our community specifically.
“He’s not giving that federal funding to people who have lost everything,” said Congresswoman Sanchez, “and what drives me crazy about that is every time there is a hurricane or flooding in other parts of the country, I always vote for funding for emergency relief for those victims. What he is doing to California is punishing us by not releasing that funding because he’s trying to put strings on that funding, and nobody else has ever had this happen – where federal funding is withheld unless you do what he wants you to do. That’s not his place to do that. If Congress allocates the money, it needs to be spent for the purpose it was allocated.”
Related Podcast Episode: 178. Saving Medicaid, Saving Lives: Inside the Health Equity Movement with Darryn A. Harris
What is Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill?
Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill is a legislative proposal that includes tax cuts, spending restrictions, and other policy changes. This comprehensive bill has been particularly controversial for politicians on both sides of the party line.
When it comes to Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill, which has been making headlines, Congresswoman Sanchez offered some insights into how Congress is currently functioning to provide a window into the cause of some fallout on both sides of the party aisle.
“You do feel the polarization,” said Congresswoman Sanchez about the current state of the Republican-controlled Congress as a Democrat. “The current chairman of our committee, for example, doesn’t really consult with us about the bills he wants to pass. You’re supposed to release the text of the bill a certain number of hours before we mark it up in the committee, and he always waits until the last possible second to release the text, so we have very little time to even know what’s in these bills that we’re going to be debating. It’s very clear that they have no interest in working with us and are carrying out their partisan agenda because they have the majority, and they have the votes,” she said.
While this has caused some grief amongst Democrats, there has also been some fallout on the Republican side after GOP Congressmen and Congresswomen returned to their districts from an all-nighter in Congress and received pushback from their constituents, who are challenging them and asking if they read the bill.
A growing issue has become that Republicans have also not been able to read the full bill and know the full impact before pushing to get it passed.
What is the One Big, Beautiful Bill Status?
In the House, the One Big, Beautiful Bill narrowly passed by just one vote because, as Congresswoman Sanchez said, “it explodes the [debt] deficit.” The bill is now heading to the Senate.
What’s in the One Big, Beautiful Bill?
Congresswoman Sanchez also spoke on what is in the controversial One Big, Beautiful Bill during our discussion, including, in her opinion, what makes it so dangerous.
“I’m just going to say that the so-called [One Big, Beautiful Bill] is really a disaster,” said Congresswoman Sanchez. “It represents the largest transfer of wealth from working and middle-class families to benefit the wealthy. It’s like a reverse Robin Hood – they are literally taking money out of the mouths of hungry children and giving tax breaks to those who don’t need them. This bill is going to make lives harder for Americans while it’s going to help line the pockets of billionaires and CEOs. If this bill passes in its current form, it’s estimated that 14 million people are going to lose their health care, including many here in California on Medical. The bill also slashes billions from food assistance, student loans, veterans benefits, and clean energy. And, if that wasn’t bad enough, it’s going to add 5 trillion dollars in debt that working families and middle-class families are going to be left to pay off. One thing as an attorney that’s really alarming about this bill is they are trying to limit the power of federal judges to enforce their orders if somebody is disobeying because Trump is disobeying many court orders, especially in the immigration space,” she explained.
This final point of trying to take away power from a co-equal government, according to Congresswoman Sanchez, is the most concerning as she believes that it is an effort to create, in essence, a king.
What About the One Big, Beautiful Bill Tax Cuts?
Generally speaking, the One Big, Beautiful Bill tax cuts will benefit primarily the wealthy, such as billionaires, CEOs, and companies, at the expense of the less wealthy.
What is the Status of the One Big, Beautiful Bill in the Senate?
As of right now, the status of the One Big, Beautiful Bill in the Senate is that the vote is still pending. Congresswoman Sanchez admitted that it is difficult to predict what’s to come. But she was able to offer some insight based on the rumblings that she’s hearing.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen because my expertise is in the House,” said Congresswoman Sanchez, “but I do know Republicans in the Senate who are very concerned about the Medicaid cuts because many people, especially in rural areas, rely on Medicaid for their healthcare. The bill is going to take away some of the subsidies to be able to afford to buy plans,” she said.
Did the One Big, Beautiful Bill Pass in the House?
Yes, as Congresswoman Sanchez said, the One Big, Beautiful Bill narrowly passed in the House by one vote.
Did the Senate Pass the One Big Beautiful Bill?
The Senate has yet to vote on the One Big, Beautiful Bill, so it has not passed it as of right now.
On Trump Tariffs and Their Impact
Our conversation then steered to Trump tariffs. In recent months, tariffs and Trump have become inseparable from one another. During our discussion, one specific government body emerged as an important talking point: the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee.
What is the House Ways and Means Trade Committee?
When it comes to the recent Trump tariffs, the Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee plays a vital role. Congresswoman Sanchez just took over as the top-ranking Democratic member of this government body. Because of this, she is deeply involved in these Tariffs.
“The trade subcommittee deals with our trade with other countries, and we have the power as granted to us by the Constitution to set tariffs,” explained Congresswoman Sanchez. “This is very important because this is a Congressional responsibility – not an Executive one,” she added.
What Does the Ways and Means Trade Committee Do?
The Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee is responsible for our trade with other countries, and it has the power to set tariffs.
Why is the Ways and Means Trade Committee Important?
The Ways and Means Trade Committee is an important part of the Congressional checks and balances.
What Tariffs Did Trump Impose?
If you have followed the news and current events, you likely know that President Trump has threatened to impose a lot of tariffs. However, with so many threats of tariffs made, it easily gets unclear what tariffs have actually materialized and which he had to walk back.
“Just last Friday, he threatened Apple with 25% tariffs unless they began manufacturing iPhones in the United States, and he said he was going to impose a 50% tariff on all of the European Union, and that was supposed to take effect on June 1st,” Congresswoman Sanchez explained. “But, over the weekend, he already delayed the E.U. tariffs, just like he did with China,” she said.
Can the President Impose Tariffs Without Congress Approval?
Congresswoman Sanchez said that while there are some rare instances where a president can impose tariffs, these are reserved for exceptional and emergency situations. Most commonly, however, setting and imposing is a right reserved for the Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee.
“As we saw just yesterday, a court struck down his ability to set broad-based tariffs by just claiming that there’s an emergency,” said Congresswoman Sanchez. “You can’t set tariffs on every country that we trade with because of some make-believe emergency. If we were at war, for example, that would constitute an emergency situation in which he might have the power to do that, but that’s not the case here,” she added.
What is the Purpose of Trump’s Tariffs?
The purpose of the Trump tariffs, on paper, is to encourage U.S. consumers to purchase more American-made goods. However, Congresswoman Sanchez believes the other motive of these tariffs is vindication, which we will discuss in more detail next.
Why Did Trump Raise Tariffs?
Trump has raised and threatened to raise tariffs for two primary reasons – the first is to encourage U.S. consumers to buy more domestically made goods. The second, according to Congresswoman Sanchez, is vindication against countries he is unhappy with.
Congresswoman Sanchez explained it in simple terms, saying that “whenever he’s peeved at another country, he talks about raising the tariffs, and then inevitably has to walk them back.”
This has caused a new term to emerge on Capitol Hill surrounding this trend, which, Congresswoman Sanchez revealed, the President is apparently very sensitive about: T.A.C.O., an acronym for “Trump Always Chickens Out,” because “he announces Tariffs via tweet and then he reverses course, sometimes within days and sometimes within hours,” Congresswoman Sanchez explained.
The justification for raising the tariffs, however, has been what he declares as an “emergency.”
“Basically, what [Trump] has done is declare that everything is an emergency, so now he gets to raise and lower tariffs as he sees fit,” said Congresswoman Sanchez.
What is the Impact of Trump Tariffs on the U.S. Economy?
The economic impact of Trump tariffs in 2025, according to Congresswoman Sanchez, cannot be understated. Even if the tariffs don’t materialize, she recognizes that the uncertainty surrounding them creates real-world damage to the U.S. economy.
“It creates real world damage to small businesses who can’t plan for the future, our manufacturers, and even our ports,” Congresswoman Sanchez explained. “I just recently toured the L.A. port, and the L.A. port has seen a 35% drop in cargo coming into the port alone, and every four containers means one job, so they have started laying off longshoremen, and it impacts truckers, too,” she said.
Congresswoman Sanchez believes that this is just one small example of the consequences even the mere threat of tariffs can have on the U.S. economy.
What is the Impact of Trump Tariffs on the Global Economy?
As for the effect of Trump tariffs on the global economy, specifically international relations, Congresswoman Sanchez also had some keen and alarming insights.
“I have seen a lot of foot traffic in my office from ambassadors of these countries or people with business interests in other countries who come and talk to us about how damaging these tariffs are, not just for them, but for American consumers as it affects prices,” Congresswoman Sanchez explained.
What is the Impact of Trump Tariffs on the Stock Market?
Congresswoman Sanchez also discussed the impact of Trump tariffs on the stock market, specifically regarding the uncertainty surrounding them.
“What that uncertainty does is it creates a lot of volatility in the stock market, and it spooks investors and businesses because they don’t know what the tariffs are going to be, so they can’t plan for the future,” Congresswoman Sanchez said. “For example, they can’t plan for how many units they should manufacture or if they should build a new facility,” she said.
What Are the Trump Tariffs’ Impact on Inflation?
Ultimately, these Trump tariffs have a huge impact on American consumers, specifically in regards to creating inflation.
“Remember, when [Trump] puts tariffs on goods, the consumer pays the price,” Congresswoman Sanchez explained. “I just saw an article about the prices at Wal-Mart. They are already moving upwards because of the announced tariffs. Something that might have cost $20 in the past is now $35, and something that was $50 is now $75. So, consumers are already starting to pay that tariff. It’s not the country that pays the tariff – it’s the consumer that buys the good that pays the tariff,” she elaborated.
What is the Stopping a Rogue President on Trade Act?
As I mentioned, I have known Congresswoman Sanchez for decades and am privileged enough to call her a good friend, and anyone who knows her knows that she is not the type of person to sit idly by while these things transpire.
This, of course, begs the question: How is she fighting back? She is fighting back through legislature, with the Stopping a Rogue President on Trade Act.
“I introduced a bill called the Stopping a Rogue President on Trade Act, which would repeal all the tariffs imposed by President Trump and would require Congressional approval for any new tariffs because that’s our job,” said Congresswoman Sanchez. “That’s a job that the Constitution says is ours,” she added.
Currently, Congresswoman Sanchez and others are trying to get co-signers onto the bill, and she says that it has a lot of support among the Democrats.
“What we need,” said Congresswoman Sanchez, “is some Republicans who have the backbone to step in and say, ‘Hey, this is our jurisdiction, and you cannot take this power away from us.’”
What is the CHANGE Act?
We then discussed the CHANGE Act, a bill that Congresswoman Sanchez has spearheaded and introduced to Congress. The CHANGE Act revolves around an area that Sanchez is passionate about: Alzheimer’s and dementia.
“The CHANGE Act and the issue of Alzheimer’s is very personal to me,” explained Congresswoman Sanchez. “I, unfortunately, lost both of my parents to Alzheimer’s, and my mother most recently left last month. It’s estimated that about 14 million Americans aged 65 and older are projected to develop Alzheimer’s by 2060. It’s the fifth leading cause of death in the United States, and what’s particularly devastating is that Black Americans are twice as likely, and Latinos are one-and-a-half times more likely to develop this disease. It hits our communities really hard,” she said.
Congresswoman Sanchez acknowledged that, while there has been some promising research, with the proposed cuts we discussed above, funding for the National Institutes of Health and many research facilities at universities may lose investments and funding, resulting in a delay in advancements and breakthroughs in Alzheimer’s treatment.
“Early intervention is one of the best ways to fight this really awful and cruel disease, and what the CHANGE Act does, and we have bi-partisan support in the House and the Senate because it impacts families regardless of what your political affiliation is, is help doctors more effectively detect, refer, and diagnose Alzheimer’s or dementia in the early stages,” Congresswoman Sanchez said. “With the Affordable Care Act, people can go in for an annual physical exam, and this bill would add a cognitive component, where they would test where your cognitive abilities are so the next year when you go for your wellness exam, they would test your cognitive level again. When they start to see a decline, they could surmise you might be getting Alzheimer’s or dementia, and they can begin early intervention,” she explained.
The Future of the United States and a Call to Action
We finished by discussing the future of the U.S. economy and Republic and a very simple question: Is there hope? While our conversation was, at times, disheartening, Congresswoman Sanchez said there is hope. We just have to exercise our rights to realize it.
“I’m glad you asked that question because there’s so much that is negative daily in the press,” Congresswoman Sanchez said, “and I hear many people say, ‘I don’t even want to turn on the news,’ but you cannot afford to tune out. Now, it’s more important than ever to pay attention to what is going on and to hold your elected representatives accountable. The power to make change in this country comes from the people – public sentiment is everything. So, if you don’t like what’s happening or what you’re seeing, you need to get active and find ways to volunteer to make a change in those policies, especially with mid-term elections around the corner,” she said.
The call to action is clear, no matter which side of the party line you fall on.
If you want to see a change, it’s important to, as Congresswoman Sanchez said, “stand up, use your voice, and channel your anger and frustration into an activity that’s going to bring about a change because just complaining about something isn’t going to fix it.”
This is where the hope lies in every democracy – with you and your rights.
Want to Learn More About the Polarization of Congress, Trump Tariffs, and the CHANGE Act and Gain More Insights from Congresswoman Linda Sanchez? Download and Subscribe to My Podcast Today!
If you are interested in hearing more detailed insights from Congresswoman Sanchez about the polarization of Congress, Trump Tariffs, the CHANGE Act, and more, I strongly encourage you to download and listen to my 35-minute podcast episode featuring Congresswoman Sanchez for convenient, engaging, and easy-to-understand exploration of these topics and more. These issues affect everyone, and we as a community have a collective responsibility to be informed citizens. As such, it is my pleasure and honor to help educate you and shed light on these pertinent issues.
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This communication is not legal advice. It is educational only. For legal advice, consult with an experienced employment law attorney in your state or city.