I just received a second email blast from Congressman Mike Simpson asking me – once again – if I support the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) that President Trump signed into law last week. Despite the inclusion of the White House’s self-declared 18 “historic wins” in this latest blast, I replied “No” for a second time, and here are a few of my reasons:
- Half of the so-called “wins” involve temporary tax deductions for a small portion of ordinary folks, while granting permanent breaks to the wealthy. Even with spending reductions, the consensus among non-White House economists is that full implementation of OBBBA will increase the national debt by at least three trillion dollars — very “big,” but not so “beautiful.”
- Taxpayer organizations universally show that over the long-term, the OBBBA tax rates clearly benefit the wealthiest Americans while the scheduled cuts to Medicaid and SNAP food assistance will negatively affect lower income families – those who gained the least through previous tax cuts. Only the cruelest among us can consider that fact to be, “beautiful” as well.
- Most agree that our country needs to address immigration case backlogs, so allocating $3.3 billion for additional immigration judges and court support personnel will be a welcome investment. However, the OBBBA includes significant increases in immigration-related fees that likely will discourage lower income migrants from applying for asylum, temporary protected status, or even a green card. The National Law Review legitimately asked, “Should humanitarian relief and legal protections be tied to one’s ability to pay?”
- The $150 billion buildup of U.S. border security and our deportation apparatus will involve hiring 10,000 new ICE agents, 5,000 new customs officers, and 3,000 border guards. The President’s “big” goal is to deport 1 million people per year, which means averaging 3,000 arrests per day.
At the same time, the agricultural industry that is dependent on migrant labor is asking President Trump for a policy reprieve because even their legal workers fear going to work as ICE raids of farms, dairies and food processing plants continue. The hospitality industry is equally concerned as ICE agents have mistakenly detained fully documented workers who have struggled to obtain needed legal assistance to avoid deportation and family separation.
In summary, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will increase the national debt, take millions of patients off affordable health insurance, and widen the gap between the least and most wealthy in our country. The law shows little compassion for those most hungry, vulnerable and alone in America, while discouraging the kinds of legal immigration that have long shaped this nation.
The Trump Administration is counting on individual and corporate greed, and our sad distrust of other countries and cultures to stifle America’s progress as a civilized, democratic nation. Congress capitulated to the White House in grand fashion by passing this very big and ugly bill, a fact we all must remember come the midterm elections in 2026 and the 2028 presidential contest.
Jan Brown is a retired nonprofit executive who is State Committeewoman for the Bonneville County Democrats and Region 7 Representative on the Idaho Democratic Party Executive Committee.