WASHINGTON, D.C., June 29, 2025 – The U.S. Senate is bracing for a heated debate over the so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill,” a contentious budget reconciliation proposal championed by former President Donald Trump and currently under scrutiny as it navigates the legislative process. With the clock ticking at 07:16 AM +08 on Monday, June 30, 2025, the bill’s $1.6 trillion in proposed budget cuts stands in stark contrast to the nation’s looming $5.8 trillion deficit, fueling a firestorm of criticism and support.
The legislation, officially known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), passed the House of Representatives on May 22, 2025, by a razor-thin margin of 215–214–1. However, Senate revisions have added new layers of complexity, including a proposed increase in the state-and-local tax (SALT) deduction cap to $40,000 for married couples earning up to $500,000. This adjustment has reignited tensions among lawmakers, with some House Republicans threatening to reject the bill unless the Senate addresses their concerns over the SALT cap, a lingering issue from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
At the heart of Trump’s second-term economic agenda, the bill aims to extend and expand the 2017 tax cuts while delivering on campaign promises. Supporters, including key Republican figures, argue that it will provide much-needed relief to the middle class and spur job growth. A temporary $4,000 boost to the standard deduction for seniors has been touted as a win for retirees, though critics note that Trump’s pledge to fully eliminate taxes on Social Security income remains unmet in the current draft.
Opposition has been fierce, with Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) taking to the Senate floor late Sunday to denounce the bill as “the most dangerous piece of legislation in the modern history of our country.” In a live address posted on X, Sanders accused the measure of being a “gift to the billionaire class” while inflicting “massive pain for working families.” He specifically targeted Section 4(b) of the bill, which allegedly carves out $420 billion in offshore tax loopholes for corporations automating jobs, alongside provisions that would gut Medicaid and force states to ration care.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has estimated that the bill could lead to four million people losing health insurance due to cuts to the Affordable Care Act, with an additional 4.2 million losing marketplace coverage. Reports also suggest that medical debt for some families could rise by over $20,000, intensifying the debate over the bill’s human cost. Meanwhile, web discussions and analyses, including from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, warn that the Senate’s reconciliation instructions could add a staggering $5.8 trillion to deficits over the next decade—more than the combined impact of major recent laws like the American Rescue Plan and the CARES Act.
The bill’s progression echoes Sanders’ long-standing critique of Trump-backed economic policies. His 2020 opposition to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) trade deal, which he labeled as benefiting corporate interests over workers, provides historical context for his current stance. As the Senate prepares to vote, the outcome remains uncertain, with defections among Republicans and Democrats alike potentially shaping the bill’s fate.
With the nation watching, the “Big, Beautiful Bill” stands at a crossroads, its passage hinging on a delicate balance of economic promises and political will.