President Donald Trump has signed a sweeping Republican tax and spending package that pares back federal outlays for health care, food aid and clean-energy incentives while enlarging immigration-enforcement funding and extending select tax breaks. The law, dubbed the “Big Ugly” by opponents, reduces federal health-care spending by roughly $1 trillion over a decade. The Congressional Budget Office projects the changes will leave nearly 12 million more people without insurance by 2034, largely because of new Medicaid work requirements that begin in 2027 and higher cost-sharing of up to $35 per visit for some beneficiaries. Beyond health care, the measure expands work rules for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Massachusetts officials estimate as many as 175,000 residents could lose all or part of their benefits, and states will shoulder a larger share of administrative costs. On energy policy, the law accelerates the phase-out of wind and solar tax credits and ends a $7,500 electric-vehicle credit in 2025; analysts expect the average household utility bill in Massachusetts to rise about $400 a year. Republicans paired the spending cuts with about $150 billion to bolster immigration enforcement, funding 10,000 additional Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, 80,000 new detention beds and continued border-wall construction. They also raised the endowment-income tax on wealthy universities to 8%—a change Harvard economists estimate will cost the school roughly $267 million annually—and capped federal student-loan borrowing for graduate and professional studies. The package offers offsets for higher-income households, lifting the cap on the state-and-local tax deduction to $40,000 for filers earning up to $500,000 through 2029. GOP leaders say the legislation reins in fraud, curbs federal deficits and encourages work, but Democrats warn it will drive up living costs and strip coverage or assistance from millions. With no Democratic support in either chamber, the measure marks one of the sharpest partisan overhauls of domestic policy in decades and sets up potential election-year fights over rolling back or extending its provisions.
Republicans' Big Ugly Bill is a real setback for our country, taking from working Americans to give to the richest few. Spoke to @VelshiMSNBC about how Trump and Republicans are paying for billionaire tax breaks by raising costs on health insurance premiums, electric rates, and https://t.co/TKBfEzkfVG
The One Big Ugly Law raises costs across the board. 🍎It drives up grocery prices while taking food assistance away from children and seniors. 🪫It causes utility bills to climb by $400 a year for the average household. Life in America is already too expensive, and Republicans
The Trump Administration is illegally going after people because of their skin color, race, and ethnicity. Now, Republicans are giving Trump $170 BILLION with the Big Ugly Bill to terrorize even more families. This is coordinated cruelty. Never forget you have rights. https://t.co/8uexZzVP1Q