On July 4, President Donald Trump signed into law H.R. 1 aka “The Big, Beautiful Bill.”
Introduced on May 16, the legislation was passed by the House on May 22, the Senate on July 1 and the House again on July 3 – record time for a piece of federal legislation of this magnitude.
The bill is a budget reconciliation bill encompassing several areas including tax policy, border security, immigration, defense, energy production, the debt limit and changes to SNAP and Medicaid. It passed primarily along party lines of both chambers, with Vice President J.D. Vance required to break the tie in the Senate to get it across the finish line.
Critics of H.R. 1 say it cuts two major social safety net programs and impose work requirements that will cost millions of poor Americans their benefits. They claim the ripple effects will be felt across the country and not just by the poor.
Three observations: First, Republicans collaborated. For the first time in decades, Republican elected officials governed. In years past, when the GOP had a majority in Congress and the presidency, they couldn’t agree on what sandwich to order for lunch, much less major legislation.
For the most part, the Republican caucus was cohesive and united. Only five House members voted no on H.R. 1 in May and just two — Massie of Kentucky and Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania — voted no last week. Three senators — Paul of Kentucky, Collins of Maine and Tillis of North Carolina — opposed it in the Senate. As expected, every Democrat in Congress voted no.
Second, Trump campaigned on H.R. 1. Many of the tenets in the sweeping legislation are consistent with what he hawked on his campaign trail. This not a ‘bait-and-switch’ bill no matter what the Ds and mainstream media claim. Trump told voters he would close the border, make tax cuts permanent, reform entitlement programs and build the military. H.R. 1 does that.
The problem a lot of Republicans have with H.R. 1 is it costs a ton of money. Trump maintains the economic growth from HR1 will offset the spending. That remains to be seen. Trump campaigns as a fiscal conservative, but his walk hasn’t matched his talk when it comes to spending.
Third, H.R. 1 will affect midterm elections. It’s too early to tell if the “Big, Beautiful Bill” will be delightful or disagreeable to 2026 voters, but it will not be neutral. If H.R. 1 produces the results Trump says it will, Republicans will gain seats and the GOP will retain a united government. If H.R. 1 is a bust, Republicans will lose seats and the last two years of Trump’s term will be gridlock.
The misinformation, caricaturing and spinning on H.R.
1, by both sides, has made it next to impossible to know what the sweeping legislation will actually do. Democrats claim it will destroy America; Republicans assert it will save the Republic. Time will divulge the ramifications of H.R. 1. But one thing for certain: for the first time in decades, Republicans proved they can do more than just win elections; they can govern.
Steve Fair is vice chairman of the Fourth District of the Oklahoma Republican Party. He can be reached at steve.fair@ymail.com. His blog is stevefair. blogspot.com.