US President Donald Trump’s signature piece of legislation, the “One Big Beautiful Bill”, has been passed by the US Senate. It was touch and go for a while, even though Trump’s Republican Party has a 53-47 majority in the US Senate. Three Republican Senators voted against the bill, along with all 47 Democrats. It was a 50-50 tie, but then US Vice President JD Vance became the tiebreaker and pushed it through.
All the Senators from the Democratic Party voted against Trump's “Big Beautiful Bill”. The Democrats are staunchly against it, calling it a betrayal of the American people. Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” is a 940-page piece of legislation, which will cut taxes in the US. Trump says that the tax cuts will benefit all Americans. But study after study says otherwise. The bill is expected to benefit mostly the richest Americans.
By one estimate, 60% of the tax benefits will flow only to the top 20% of households. Meanwhile, millions of poorer Americans will face a double blow. They could lose access to affordable healthcare, and food assistance.
A tax cut means that the US government is losing money. It is reducing its own revenue by collecting less money. To balance the books, it needs to cut expenditure as well. Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” is going to slash spending on Medicaid and Food Stamps to make up the difference.
Medicaid is a US government programme that provides health insurance to low-income households. It allows less affluent Americans to access healthcare and medicines without being pushed into debt. But the proposed bill is poised to cut $1 Trillion from Medicaid, potentially pushing millions of poorer Americans off the healthcare safety net.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, is another initiative facing drastic cuts because of Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill”. The US introduced Food Stamps for low- and no-income households back in 1939. The stamps help poorer Americans get access to nutritious food. But Trump’s proposed bill is poised to reduce US government spending on food assistance, potentially impacting over 40 million people dependent on the programme. This includes children, the elderly, and people with disabilities. The cuts to food assistance and Medicaid are why even some Republican Senators voted against Trump's “Big Beautiful Bill”.
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But despite the opposition, Trump's “Big Beautiful Bill” has passed in the US Senate. Trump wants it to become law by the 4th of July, America’s Independence Day. Will the “Big Beautiful Bill” pass, or are there any surprises on the way?
