President Donald Trump has been talking about his “big, beautiful bill” for months, and now Americans are on edge to see just how his proposed plan will affect their daily lives. The federal spending bill has drawn bipartisan backlash for its potential negative impacts on lower income Americans will be negatively impacted amid growing that the Republican president is overstepping his authority.
The bill already passed in the House of Representatives. Next, it’s headed to the GOP-led Senate. But after House Republicans made several sly changes to the bill, it’s time we talk about what it will actually mean for Black Americans if it passes.
Tax Cuts Will Hurt Black Americans
The biggest right-wing appeal of the Trump’s bill is its promised tax cuts for the wealthy. As the wealth gap in the country continues to widen, Trump’s tax cuts prove to be another handout for the richest Americans—most of whom are white, according to data from the Pew Research Center.
On the other hand, Trump’s cuts will likely increase the racial divide in the country. A 2024 study conducted by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found corporate tax cuts disproportionately benefit white households because white people disproportionately own corporate stocks and bonds, unlike Black households.
‘Restriction on Enforcement’
On page 544 of the 1,082-page bill, a hidden provision called the “Restriction on Enforcement” has the potential to officially upend the checks and balances system. SEC. 70302 reads:
“No court of the United States may enforce a con21 tempt citation for failure to comply with an injunction or temporary restraining order if no security was given when the injunction or order was issued pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65(c), whether issued prior to, on, or subsequent to the date of enactment of this section. make it harder for U.S. judges to hold the president accountable.”
In short terms, Republicans want more restrictions against U.S. judges who push back on Trump’s orders. The administration has been sued, blocked and threatened with contempt in court by judges fearing Trump’s orders are unconstitutional. If the bill passes in the Senate, then this small section would likely benefit Trump’s deportation agenda and his anti-DEI push.
Trump Goes Back on Medicaid Promise
Although Trump previously said he wouldn’t cut Medicaid, guess what his bill proposes?? Yup, hundreds of thousands of Americans on Medicaid are at risk if the bill passes.
Black Americans made up 21 percent of Americans on Medicaid in 2020, according to the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE). With cuts to Medicaid, lower class Black Americans will suffer greatly.
Cuts to Food Stamps
Along with cuts to Medicare, the “big, beautiful bill” aims to restrict food stamps. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will be cut by 30 percent, according to the bill. Ty Jones Cox, vice president for food assistance policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, said it’s the “biggest cut in the program’s history,” according to CNBC.
How Climate Change and Race Are Connected
Although climate change has taken a back burner to Trump’s immigration agenda, this proposed bill will also roll back several Biden-era initiatives pushing for clean energy, making its development more difficult and expensive. And as the racial gap widens, Black communities will continue to be devastated by harsh weather conditions.
Black Americans are at greater risk of experiencing natural disasters because of concentrated populations in extreme weather environments, like in Black cities like St. Louis and Houston, according to McKinsey Institute for Economic Mobility.