As Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” (more accurately called the MAGA Murder Bill) is winding its way through the compliant and spineless “public servants” (note quotation marks) in the House and Senate, a great deal of the public’s attention will be focused on the bill’s main thrust, which is to rob the poor to further enrich the obscenely wealthy. In order to achieve that goal, the GOP–which used to portray itself as the party of “fiscal sanity”–proposes to add 3.6 trillion dollars to the deficit over the next ten years.
But the overall cruelty of the measure shouldn’t preclude a look at the fine print–the nasty culture-war provisions that Republicans in Congress slipped in, in hopes that discussions of the major elements would shield them from view. Robert Kuttner of The American Prospect recently listed several of them.
Perhaps the most egregious is an effort to cripple the courts. A provision would prohibit any funding from being used to carry out court orders holding executive branch officials in contempt. It would enable Trump and his officials to defy court orders at will. It is almost certainly unconstitutional—but then, so are most of the actions of this appalling administration.
The bill protects the tax preparation industry by repealing the Direct File measure sponsored by the Biden administration. That program allowed taxpayers to save money by using a free IRS tool to file their tax returns, relieving them of the need to pay commercial tax preparers.
The bill also adds to MAGA’s savage attacks on migrants, adding $45 billion for construction of immigration jails. (This is more than 13 times ICE’s current detention budget.) In addition to the money, the provision would allow for the indefinite detention of immigrant children, and would charge families $3,500 to reunite with a child who arrived alone at the border. Asylum seekers will have to pay an “application fee” of at least $1,000. (Because people fleeing horrific circumstances are presumably flush?)
Just in case some non-profit organizations in civil society have the nerve to criticise our would-be king, the reconciliation bill gives the administration the power to label nonprofits as “terrorist-supporting organizations,” a designation that can be used to terminate their tax status. Giving the administration such authority would be an open invitation to our demented autocrat to suppress the free speech and activism of climate and civil liberties organizations, among others.
Other bits of “fine print” more directly support the major goal of the bill: protecting the extremely wealthy against efforts to get them to pay their fair share of taxes–basically, exempting the rich from paying their dues to the country that made their accumulation of wealth possible. As Kuttner reports, the bill would gut an Estate Tax that is already massively favorable to the top 1%..
As if the current exemptions were not enough, the bill raises the no-tax floor to a staggering $15 million for single people and $30 million for couples in 2026. So a couple could leave $29.99 million to their heirs, tax-free. As recently as 2001, 2.1 percent of estates paid some tax. With this change, the percentage falls to less than 0.08 percent.
There’s much more. The bill weakens the Child Tax Credit, by lowering the eligibility income threshold. Millions of children will suddenly become ineligible. It expands school vouchers–continuing the GOP effort to destroy public education and shift tax dollars to religious institutions, in violation of the First Amendment. It includes what Kuttner calls “Stealth Cuts’ to the Affordable Care Act, with a provision that will increase out-of-pocket costs and make insurance more expensive.
And speaking of despicable: One bit of fine print supports gun silencers. “Buried deep in the bill is a provision that repeals the $200 excise tax on the sale of gun silencers, which have no lawful purpose other than concealing shootings.”
Several of these measures ought not survive the rules governing the budget reconciliation progress, which require that measures in a reconciliation bill be limited to budget and spending. Under those rules, ordinary legislation is not permissible. Kuttner notes that the Senate rules on germaneness are tighter than those in the House, “thanks to the Byrd Rule, which holds that “extraneous” matters may not be included in a budget bill.” Given the cravenness of the Republican Senators, those rules are a thin reed, but we can hope…
The real merit of the “Big Beautiful Bill” is educational. It is a road-map, an “up-front” admission of where MAGA Republicans want to take America. Like Project 2025, it is a candid statement of purpose, an acknowledgement of their determination to remake the United States into a medieval country characterized by corruption, chaos and cruelty.
We can’t let that happen.
What’s comical is that this bill does not address our $37 trillion debt or deficit, but instead adds to both categories. It’s in direct opposition to the Republicans campaigning in 2024, who all screamed about the giant debt Biden added to get our country out of the global COVID pandemic plunge—no wonder the Republicans aren’t holding local town halls for their constituents.
The town halls they do hold are met with total disapproval and boos. They are stunned that their constituents would act this way toward their brazen lying and luxury treatment of their oligarchic bosses. Until the people realize we’ve been under a strategic plan of “divide and conquer” by the oligarchy for generations, we’ll be locked into complete ruin.
If I can see what’s going on globally, so can their economists at the think-tanks. I do not post the economic picture because most Americans glaze over, as they are used to the dumbed-down legacy media, which targets a fifth-grade education level. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say the oligarchy knows we will be defaulting on our debt and wants to bleed the Treasury before it happens.
Trump is threatening those countries that seek out alternatives to the worthless fiat dollar, but avoiding US sanctions, tariffs, and confiscating dollar reserves has taught the global community that they need an alternative. China has offered them an alternative. The writing is on the proverbial wall, and Trump’s threats won’t change leaders’ minds.
As for the MAGA Murder Bill, the Senate is claiming it doesn’t cut enough from the debt. I’m not sure if that means fewer tax cuts for the oligarchy or more cuts for Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security. We shall see what they can get away with from their oligarch employers.
Lastly, Musk is tucking his tail and heading back to his failing companies and ending his political donations – “I’ve done enough!”
He sure has done enough! He revised his “waste, fraud, and abuse” accounting for DOGE from $2 trillion to $1 trillion, then changed it again to $150 billion. LOL As I’ve said a hundred times, why on earth would a man who’s heavily invested in the EV market support right-wing politics? Have you seen MAGA driving up to events in a Tesla or a Cybertruck? LOL He missed his target market drastically, and even Europeans are choosing the superior Chinese EVs over Teslas. His rebranding effort should be interesting to watch…
Remember when R’s were up in arms about the “death panels” in the Affordable Care Act? This big ugly bill, which cuts deeply into Medicaid going to the elderly and poor, amounts to the same thing. Where is the outrage?
I am not surprised about the cuts to food and education. That is entirely consistent with other actions that keep Americans poor, hungry, and ignorant. And cutting funding to public media is also par for the course; no autocratic organization could abide an independent news organization.
Ok agree. We can’t let this happen. Don’t let Banks or Young off the hook. Call their offices. make their staff hear what this will do to their generation as I doubt any of them is over 30. Remind the one answering the phone that this is a debt of the future generations, including environmental issues, etc. Don the Destroyer of all things bright and beautiful in this country will affect their generation.
The BBB combined with the national sales tax effect of tariffs should allow Mar-a-Lago to become the pot-o-gold end of rainbows.
We’ll be enslaved by field work done in the past by immigrants to feed the Mal pot and pay our bills including healthcare, food, and paying interest on Trump’s debt and for his magic carpet big, beautiful airplane.
Reading the Democratic E-mails I receive day after day after day, etc., sending the same already known information of what is going on, filling out their repeated surveys all ending with begging for donations so they can do the jobs we have already elected and paid them to do doesn’t bother with “fine print”. The millions of us who rely on Social Security and Medicare live in fear of losing all, with no hope in sight for change from the years of past donations to the party from our Social Security checks(which provides neither social life or security of income) and Medicare providing less care yearly, I believe we would get as much leadership and help by watching “SpongeBob Squarepants”.
Early January I renewed by DNC membership for another year, then came the lack of support by that organization claiming my membership had lapsed because I did not renew my membership and do not donate on line. My check was good enough to provide my 2025 membership card, nothing in “The Fine Print” of that membership renewal form stated it is invalid. My check was cashed, the funds deducted from my account balance and no way to get a refund. The only other organization I continue to support is the ACLU who are at least trying to protect all of us and are finding we need protection from SCOTUS. There is seemingly no end to the list of Pardoned criminals being released to renew their crimes against humanity with presidential protection.
Before any of you start harping on the fact that I have stated the problem but no solution; do you have any solutions to provide as Trump’s control remains stronger in all areas every day. Will he provide government workers to maintain raking of public areas to prevent wildfires in areas he does not sell and will he and RFK, Jr. require a prescription to purchase Clorox? We are in deep shit here and we don’t have enough money to buy a ladder to climb out of it.
Wednesday’s 3-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade’s comprehensive opinion invalidating every tariff imposed by Trump under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act gives me great hope. It strikes a tremendous blow to Trump’s total economic agenda which was based on the ludicrous idea that tariffs would fund the deep deficits that would be created by the passage of the so-called “big, beautiful bill.” Its ruling poses a significant threat to the GOP reconciliation bill by removing any semblance of the ability to of unconstitutional and illegal tariffs somehow bailing out the Republicans’ massive tax cuts for the ultra rich.
David,
I doubt Orange Jesus will move to obey that three judge panel any faster than he has moved to follow the ruling of the nine judge panel (SCOTUS) that ordered him to facilitate the return of Garcia Abrego.
One of your best, Sheila. Thank you. Just hope all people will pay attention and understand.
MAGA frames taxes on the wealthy as theft, or as punishment for success. We need to reframe taxes on the wealthy as a user fee to preserve for future generations the system that enabled their success.
The BBB is indeed awful and should be rewritten, but it won’t be. With luck the poison pill gutting judicial ability to enforce rulings will be removed, as was the provision to sell of massive amounts of public land. Regarding the suppressor tax. The federal government conducts an investigation to ensure the prospective owner is eligible to own a firearm before issuing the license to purchase., as is done when purchasing a firearm from a licensed dealer ( and IMO should be done for any firearm transfer or sale, private or thru a business). Suppressors are common on hunting arms in Europe and New Zealand and are becoming more common in the states as more states permit them for hunting. They don’t silence anything but they do reduce the sound of the shot and focus it away from those behind the firearm. Where suppressors can be purchased at the local hardware or hunting supply store ( ie: Europe/ OZ) it is considered “rude” to hunt without one. Given the number of suburban deer, and suburban hunts needed to try and reduce deer populations and resulting car collisions and landscaping destruction, having a suppressor will be considered being a good neighbor. A shot will still be heard but it won’t be as loud and is good & appropriate for those of us who choose to hunt to fill our freezers. So far that is the ONLY part of the Big Bad Bill I’ve seen that I liked.
He will continue to defy court orders like he has already done with Abrega Garcia. So when is he going to be held accountable by those same courts, who will give his sycophant lawyers due process, the very thing he won’t give to adults or to a 5 yr old sick child here for medical reasons and treatment.
When oh when does the nightmare end?
Those folks who support this horrid bill are not Americans, simple. Their country is called the United States of Hell!
The non-profit issue is an important one to look at. Because so many of MAGA backers belong to non-profits. So if something happens with the present governmental setup, many of these backers will have cut their own throats because it could be used against them. Most of these religious entities are non-profit. So they can be picked clean by a different administration. Then you’ll see the howling and wailing and claims of unfair retaliation, and, whatever else you want to throw in there.
John Sorg, MAGA “backers” are too stupid to know that the razor is at their own throats held by their own hands.
JoAnn, there are solutions, but some of them are illegal, some are impossible and some simply don’t interest the politicians. They’re too busy begging for money and bending the knee to lobbyists of all stripes.
What the hell is a TRUMP account saving program??
Trumps lawyers immediately filed appeal that the US court of international trade judgment couldn’t trump Trump’s tariffs. It’s my understanding that the courts finding stops collection of the new tariffs immediately and his use of using “emergency” means to impose those tariffs wasn’t/ isn’t legit. This really weakens his image to the world and now he ramps up the threats.
Rose,
In combination with the TACO slam, the judges’ ruling will drive him to make the tariffs happen at the expense of the world economy. Even as it is, shelves will be empty in certain sectors by next month. Trump is a psychopath and sees only himself through his own mad prism of a mind … and NO consequences for his actions matter.
Something dramatic will happen before too long whether it’s from the courts or somebody actually enforcing a court ruling or … something else. The pressure of history is building just as it did before Hitler invaded Poland in 1939. There’s a dam out there ready to break.
Vernon, Trump’s defying court orders over immigration, directly under the DOJ, where laws are murky isn’t the same as of the US international trade court order. He’s out of his lane there, unless Congress finds a way to appease him. The new tariffs are off and he looks weak. Yes, I think he will react and try to reassert power, but the tariffs are off the table for now. The case will probably go to SC and I doubt they will just ignore the law for trump’s sake.
Vernon; I recommend the Mussolini solution.
https://youtu.be/dgah45hZZhY?si=q3AiU_ZZS4oI_SQx
Take a listen, it’s really pertinent.
Eat my words. I just saw that the Federal Appeals Court just reinstated Trump’s tariffs temporarily. Deference to Trump is so damaging to US and American people.
Thank you for clarifying the details in this horrible bill. Isn’t any of this impeachable??