Trump’s “One, Big, Beautiful Bill” has officially been signed into law. The president put Sharpie to paper in a ceremony held on the White House South Lawn on Friday evening, after delivering a characteristically rambling speech filled with bizarre non-sequiturs.
In an attempt to assure everyone that the megabill will be good for the American people, Trump pushed back on what he described as the Democrats’ “standard line” on the bill.
“Oh, it’s dangerous. Oh, everybody’s going to die,” Trump crooned mockingly, imitating the criticisms he’s been hearing from across the aisle.
“It’s actually just the opposite,” he continued. “Everybody is going to live. This is just the opposite.”
Criticism of the sprawling bill, which is approximately 900 pages, has come from both sides, with significant focus on its cuts to healthcare and welfare provisions.
Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) ultimately voted against the bill because of his concerns that its cuts to Medicaid would leave many in his state without healthcare. Tillis’ opposition drew Trump’s fury, with the president threatening to primary him, followed by Tillis abruptly announcing that he would not be seeking re-election.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) also described the bill as “not good enough for the rest of our nation.” That was after she had voted in favor of it, with agreed to carveouts for her state of Alaska, subsequently being roasted by critics.
Of course, the bulk of the griping came from Democrats, including House Dem leader Hakeem Jeffries.
“This bill represents the largest cut to healthcare in American history,” Jeffries said during a filibuster on Thursday. “Hospitals will close, including all throughout rural America… People in America will die unnecessary deaths,” Jeffries continued. “That is outrageous. It’s disgusting.”
Trump referenced Jeffries’ record-breaking 8-hour and 44-minute speech, designed to delay the bill’s passage during his OBBB preface, describing him as “that guy” who stood up for hours, wiping his face with a towel. “That’s not too elegant,” Trump said.
The bill, which passed the House on Friday with a majority of four votes, may see nearly 14 million Americans losing health insurance coverage by 2034, according to Congressional Budget Office estimates.
A Yale and University of Pennsylvania study estimated that restricting Medicaid and Affordable Care Act coverage, the repeal of nursing home staffing regulations, and other adjustments in the bill could result in 51,000 preventable deaths each year across the country, making it a top 10 cause of death in the U.S.
In addition, significant cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) could see 3.2 million people on lower incomes lose access to services like the Thrifty Food Plan. The $285.7 billion in spending reduction over the 2025-2034 period and increased working requirements, amongst other changes, could lead to 93,000 premature deaths over the next 14 years, a research memo from the University of Pennsylvania suggests.
“I just want you to know, if you see anything negative put out by Democrats,” Trump said of the OBBB, “it’s all a con job.”
With the OBBB now signed into law, changes to Medicare will begin taking effect before the end of next year, while SNAP reforms could begin as early as this year, though no official timeline has been given.
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