What’s Really In The One Big Beautiful Bill?

The people of mid-Michigan sent me to Congress to do the hard work necessary to lower the cost of living, secure our border, and unleash American energy. Unfortunately, while I’ve been working hard to deliver on those promises, Democrats have been trying to scare people into believing the sky is falling when it comes to H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, that we are working on in Congress.

The good news is that I won’t be distracted by the noise. On Thursday, May 22, I voted YES on this critical piece of legislation to deliver the largest tax cut in history for the working class and small businesses, unleash American energy, secure our southern border, and protect Medicaid for the people who need it most.

H.R. 1 is now on its way to the Senate where some changes are possible. In the meantime, I’d like to address some of the misinformation flying around out there and set the record straight about what’s really in the bill for you, your family, and the hard-working people of Michigan’s 7th Congressional District.

There has been no shortage of noise and fear mongering when it comes to the reconciliation bill that the House and Senate are working on. Let’s set the record straight: this legislation delivers real results for working families, small businesses, seniors, and future generations. It’s a commonsense plan to lower taxes, protect benefits, secure our border, and put America back on track.

There is a lot of misinformation out there right now about what is in this bill and what’s not. So let’s set the record straight:

Largest Tax Cut in American History

Not only does H.R. 1 deliver the largest tax cut in history for the working class and small businesses, it eliminates taxes on tips and overtime pay, makes American-made cars built in Michigan more affordable, provides significant relief for seniors collecting Social Security benefits, and boosts the child tax credit to support families across the country.

Specifically, this legislation locks in the 2017 tax cuts and builds on them in meaningful ways for working families, small businesses, and seniors by:

• Delivering permanent tax relief for middle and working-class Americans;
• Putting an average $5,000 back in Americans’ pockets through income tax cuts;
• Decreasing taxes by as much as 15% for people earning between $30,000 and $80,000;
• Ending taxes on tips and overtime for police officers, nurses, and first responders.
• Cutting taxes on Social Security to provide historic relief for seniors who’ve earned their benefits;
• Increasing the Child Tax Credit by $500 to $2,500 and strengthens the Paid Family and Medical Leave Tax Credit; and
• Making the Adoption Tax Credit refundable up to $5,000 so it’s more affordable to start a family.

This is a tax code that rewards work, not Washington, and provides relief to American families, restaurant servers, nurses, tradesmen, and seniors. 

Support for Small Businesses & American Manufacturing 

This bill is designed to grow Main Street, not just Wall Street. Small businesses are the heartbeat of our economy and communities, which is why H.R. 1 was drafted to be one of the most pro-small business tax packages ever introduced. This commonsense legislation puts Americans first by:

• Making interest payments on American-made vehicles fully deductible.
• Slashing taxes for small business owners, family farms, and independent contractors.
• Bringing jobs and investment back to America by rewarding companies who build new factories in the United States and lowering the tax rate for those whose products are Made-In-America.
• Encouraging business to reinvest and expand by allowing Research and Development (R&D) expenses to be deducted immediately rather than over a five year period. 

Strengthening Medicaid and SNAP

This legislation strengthens the integrity of Medicaid, preserving it for mothers, children, people with disabilities, and seniors who need it most – not illegal immigrants and able-bodied adults who choose not to work. This legislation preserves important safety programs for the most vulnerable by:

• Eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse by requiring 4.8 million able-bodied adults to return to the workforce or do meaningful volunteer work in the community.
• Removing 1.4 million illegal immigrants and 1.2 million recipients who are already ineligible under current law from the Medicaid program.
• Closing loopholes used by states to inflate benefits and encourages better administration of the program.

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The bottom line is that we are ensuring Medicaid can better serve the American people and remains a reliable lifeline for generations to come. This will strengthen programs to better help those most in need of assistance—expectant mothers, our seniors, individuals with disabilities, and low-income families—while helping Americans improve their lives.

Securing the Border

H.R. 1 also provides for the largest border security investment in American history, including funding for:

• Building 701 miles of wall along the U.S.-Mexico border;
• Equipping border patrol agents with next-generation surveillance technology; and
• Hiring 10,00 new ICE agents, 5,000 new customs officers, and 3,000 new Border Patrol agents.

Strengthening America’s Food Supply

This legislation makes targeted investments in our farmers and rural America totaling over $60 billion that can be used to:

• Strengthen the farm safety net after years of stalled progress on a Farm Bill.
• Boost agriculture trade promotion to close the ag trade deficit.
• Invest in livestock biosecurity and cutting-edge age research to protect against disease and keep America a global leader in innovation.

American farmers feed the world, and this bill ensures they have the tools needed to continue that legacy.

Investing in America

If you’ve turned on the news lately, you probably have seen a story about air traffic control systems going down. For far too long, America’s air traffic control system has lagged behind the world resulting in delays and endangering lives. This bill makes the investment to fully modernize U.S. air traffic control. We will bring our systems into the 21st century to ensure safer, faster, more efficient air travel. But this bill goes beyond that by:

• Unleashing American energy dominance and increasing domestic mining to lower costs and strengthen security.
• Rescinding costly and unnecessary Inflation Reduction Act funds from Department of Energy programs that fail to meet our energy needs.
• Bringing certainty to the permitting process for North American cross-border energy infrastructure.
• Supporting the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
• Providing investment certainty for building permitted energy projects.
• Expediting the process for American LNG exports.
• Investing in a more powerful and lethal U.S. military.
• Putting $23 billion into the Coast Guard to protect our borders, including in the Great Lakes.
• Helping revamp the shipbuilding industry.
• Providing $15 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration to modernize Air Traffic Control technology.

We are investing in what Americans care about, and we are just getting started.

Setting the Record Straight

There are lies being spread about this bill like: “tax cuts for billionaires,” and “cuts to Medicaid,” and ‘gutting programs.” The facts say otherwise: 

Working families, not the billionaires, receive the largest percentage tax cuts. 

Safety net programs, like Medicaid and SNAP, are protected and strengthened, not cut.

Reforms are focused on efficiency, accountability, and results – not taking away benefits from those who need them. 

This One Big Beautiful Bill rewards hard work, protects the vulnerable, grows small businesses, and reinvests in America’s future. Don’t let the lies and hysteria distract you. This is how we restore the American Dream.