“One Big Beautiful Bill” Talking Points

“One Big Beautiful Bill” is a massive legislative proposal introduced in the 119th Congress, and passed by the US House in a vote of 215-214. It includes sweeping reforms across tax policy, healthcare, education, energy, regulation, and national defense. Supporters hail it as transformative. Critics warn it could undermine key social, financial and security protections for Americans. The bill is currently awaiting a vote in the US Senate.

Key Components of the Bill:

  • Democracy and Oversight
    • Requires Congressional approval for any federal regulation that raises revenue
    • All federal regulations must be reauthorized every 5 years — or expire
    • Slashes funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau by 70%
    • Complete dissolution of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board
  • Healthcare Cuts and Restrictions
    • Medicaid: Adds work requirements, raises premiums, tightens eligibility
    • Medicare: 4% funding cut over 8 years, $500 B in automatic cuts due to “PAYGO”, a budget rule requiring reductions in revenue to be offset by cuts in other areas of the budget
    • Defunds organizations that provide reproductive health care such as Planned Parenthood
    • Prohibits Medicaid and ACA coverage of gender-affirming care
  • Fiscal Responsibility and the Deficit
    • Makes the 2017 tax cuts permanent
    • Introduces new temporary tax breaks (e.g., for tips, car loan interest, gun silencers)
    • Expands the deficit by $2.5 trillion
    • Cuts safety net programs including $300 Billion funding cut to SNAP
    • $50 Billion in cuts to the Federal Employee Retirement System
  • Education and Student Loans
    • Raises the excise tax on college endowments from 1.4% to up to 21%
    • Ends subsidized federal loans, $351 Billion in cuts to student aid
    • Replaces loan forgiveness with more limited repayment plans
    • Introduces “Workforce Pell Grants” for trade programs
    • Diverts $10 billion per year from public education to fund private school vouchers
    • Reduces oversight of for-profit colleges
  • Energy and Environment
    • Repeals clean energy tax incentives
    • Accelerates fossil fuel project approvals
    • Weakens environmental review requirements
    • Mandates new drilling leases, and calls for 4 million acres of new coal leasing and a 25% increase in logging
    • Authorizes the sale of 11,000 acres of public lands in Utah and Nevada
  • Defense and Border Security
    • Adds $150B in defense spending
    • Adds $70B to border enforcement
    • Expands surveillance and enforcement capacity
    • Bans state governments from making or enforcing any laws regulating artificial intelligence for the next 10 years
  • Judiciary
    • Limits the authority of federal judges to hold US government officials in contempt of court

Source: League of Women Voters