Rep. David Kustoff (TN-08)
On July 4, while at the White House celebrating our nation’s Independence Day, president Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law. This legislation — historic in both its scope and its potential — makes significant, and permanent, reforms to the federal tax code and government spending. The bill will usher in a new era of growth, opportunity, and prosperity for the United States.
Unfortunately, there has been a lot of misinformation and frankly lies spread about what the bill does and what it means for the American people.
I want to set the record straight. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is a win for West Tennessee and the nation.
The first myth is that the One Big Beautiful Bill is a tax break for the rich. That is false. In fact, it protects millions of working-class families and small businesses from what would have been the largest tax hike in US history.
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 was one of the hallmarks of the first Trump administration — the first major reform to the federal tax code in over 30 years, which lowered taxes across the board for individuals at every income level, for small businesses and family farms, and for estate and retirement planning.
Most of these tax cuts would have expired at the end of 2025 — an outcome that would have been catastrophic for all of us. West Tennessee families would have seen their yearly taxes go up 26 percent on average.
The One Big Beautiful Bill not only makes the key provisions in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent but it also enhances them. It solidifies and increases the doubled standard deduction. It boosts the doubled child tax credit, preserves the 20 percent deduction for small businesses, and protects bill’s death tax exemption for family-owned farms. It even goes a step further and includes president Trump’s priorities of no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and tax relief for seniors.
The average American family will save over $10,000 in taxes every year because of this legislation. The One Big Beautiful Bill is for American families, workers and small businesses — not special interests, foreign companies or blue-state billionaires.
A second myth is that the bill will cause millions of Americans to lose access to health care. This is also false. The bill includes provisions that will strengthen the Medicaid program and preserve it for years to come. Federal Medicaid spending is projected to increase significantly over the next decade — with or without the bill. As Medicaid grows, so does the importance of the program’s long-term stability and viability.
That is why the bill created tailored work-requirements designed to make Medicaid more efficient, reliable and fair. These reforms will protect Medicaid and ensure it works better for those who need it most: children, mothers and those with disabilities.
In addition, the bill provides $50 billion for the new Rural Health Transformation Program, which will support hospitals and other health care facilities in underserved areas. Geography should not determine access to care — this is a no brainer. The Rural Health Transformation Program will bridge that gap and help rural Americans access the care they deserve.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act improves health care in America; no amount of misinformation and noise will change that fact.
A third myth is that this bill will speed up deportation efforts. And this one is true.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act invests over $175 billion to secure our borders and keep Americans safe. It provides funding to finish construction of the border wall, utilize new surveillance technology, and hire 8,000 additional border patrol and customs officers. It also gives Immigration and Customs Enforcement the resources it needs to detain and remove dangerous illegal aliens from the country.
Border security is national security — full stop. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act will restore the rule of law and protect our communities from terrorism, drug trafficking and other threats posed by illegal immigration.
A fourth myth is that Republicans are increasing spending, instead of getting our fiscal house in order. This one is false. There’s no question that Washington has a spending problem. Everybody knows that you cannot spend outside of your means, and the federal government is no exception.
During his campaign, Trump promised to restore fiscal sanity in our nation’s capital, and this bill helps fulfill that promise. It reduces federal spending by more than $1.5 trillion, primarily by targeting waste, fraud and abuse. This amounts to one of the largest spending cuts in US history, and frankly, is an unheard-of achievement for Washington. Further, according to the Council of Economic Advisors, the bill will cut the US deficit-to-GDP ratio nearly half by 2034 — from 6.2 percent to 3.2 percent.
Combined with the economic growth unleashed through tax cuts; the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will put the US on a strong fiscal trajectory for years to come.
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