One Big Beautiful Bill Act sparks debate, voter pushback in town halls across the country
Washington lawmakers are back home selling the pros and cons of the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," leveraging the law to shape their message to voters ahead of midterms.
Washington lawmakers are back home selling the pros and cons of the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," leveraging the law to shape their message to voters ahead of midterms.
Washington lawmakers are back home selling the pros and cons of the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," leveraging the law to shape their message to voters ahead of midterms.
Lawmakers are on August recess after a busy first half of the year for the Republican-controlled Congress.
While back home, they're actively engaging constituents to discuss the work they've done, with President Donald Trump's taking center stage.
Now, with midterm elections approaching next year, both parties are using the bill to shape their messaging.
"The key thing to remember about that bill is... it's great for families," , said while highlighting the tax cuts in the law .
However, the bill's cuts to healthcare and food assistance are also sparking debate, proving to be a hard sell for many Republicans.
"We do not have unlimited money in the United States," , R-Nebraska, said in response to a question about the bill cutting funding for safety net programs that was promptly met with boos from the audience.
Some Democrats are taking their arguments against the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to Republican districts outside their own states, as they look to regain control of Congress.
"We want, we demand, we will have an economy that works for all of us," , I-Vermont, said during a stop on his speaking tour in West Virginia.
In an event before an audience in South Carolina, , D-California, questioned the law's true intentions.
"Why is it you think it is good policy to have tax breaks for the billionaires in Silicon Valley and cuts of $1 trillion to Medicaid, taking away people's food assistance here?" Khanna said.
found that the bottom 10% of earners will lose roughly $1,200 a year because of the , while the top 10% of earners will see their income increase by nearly $14,000. The middle 70% will gain a few dozen to a few thousand dollars.
The legislation also makes permanent the 2017 tax cuts and suspends taxes on things like tips and overtime. However, people earning the least are more likely to receive government-funded social programs, such as Medicare or food stamps. The legislation cuts federal funding for those programs, meaning people will receive fewer benefits or may not be eligible for them, negating any savings in taxes with higher costs for health care or groceries.
The Treasury Department recently reported that the national deficit hit $2 trillion this fiscal year, as the government spends more on interest payments on the national debt and as more people collect Social Security.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is expected to add even more – over the next 10 years.
Trump aims to pay down the debt with tariffs, having collected a record $21 billion so far. However, tariffs are projected to erase less than $3 trillion of the current $37 trillion national debt over the next decade.
Watch the latest on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act:
