The House Wants to Pass Trump’s Agenda in One Big Bill. Here’s What’s in It.

On Tuesday, President Trump lauded a House budget blueprint that would enable Congress to pass much of his legislative agenda in what he called “ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL.” That budget, which passed a committee vote and could hit the House floor as soon as next week, lays out targets for legislation that would extend tax cuts and increase the federal deficit. It would also almost certainly make major cuts to programs that serve the poor.

House Speaker Mike Johnson can afford only one defection from his caucus, making building the budget tricky. Some Republicans want to cut taxes; others want to reduce the federal deficit; still others are queasy about big cuts to social welfare programs. Already, several Republican lawmakers have signed a letter raising concerns about cuts to Medicaid and the SNAP food benefit program, cuts that are probably mathematically necessary to make the budget work.

And President Trump has made statements that could undermine support for the bill, like saying in a Fox News interview this week that the Medicaid program would not be “touched.”

Most years, congressional budgets are inconsequential documents, and they don’t always even get a vote. But because Republicans want to pass their agenda using a special process that can sidestep a Senate filibuster, a budget is an important and necessary step this year.

The 10-year budget lays out instructions for tax and spending cuts to various House committees. But it doesn’t say how the committees should hit their numbers — that part of the process comes later.

Here’s what’s in the budget.

Spending cuts

The resolution includes instructions to a handful of committees that add up to at least $1.5 trillion in cuts (over 10 years) to so-called mandatory spending, a part of the budget that doesn’t require Congress to write appropriations bills to fund programs. But a last-minute amendment, introduced to gain the support of spending hawks worried about the bill’s effects on the debt, requires at least $2 trillion in total cuts.

Energy and Commerce

Cut by at least $880 billion

Medicaid is likely to be the largest target for cuts to achieve the $880 billion in budget savings set out in the legislation.

Medicaid, which provides health insurance mostly to poor Americans in a partnership with states, is the country’s largest insurance program, covering around half of all births and two-thirds of all nursing home bills. If all the cuts were applied to the program, it would represent an 11 percent reduction in spending, on average, over a decade. But the committee also has the ability to include cuts to Medicare, and may also be able to find some savings by reversing Biden-era regulations.

Education and Work Force

Cut by at least $330 billion

The instructions require cuts to nearly half of all spending on programs the committee can consider.

A document circulated by the Budget Committee earlier this year noted that a student loan repayment plan created by the Biden administration — known as SAVE — could be ended. The program is on pause after legal challenges from states, and the amount of savings its elimination could generate, $150 billion or more, depends on the status of the litigation.

The charts show all the spending the committee could cut, but some student aid programs in another part of the budget would still remain even if the committee cut this spending to zero.

The biggest category of spending for the committee is school nutrition programs. The budget document also suggested some smaller cuts to school breakfasts, and to lunch programs for schools that serve low-income children.

Agriculture

Cut by at least $230 billion

The bulk of the spending overseen by the committee is on food benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and most of the rest is on farm programs like crop insurance. If the cuts hit the programs overseen by the committee equally, it would amount to a 13 percent cut. If they were directed to SNAP alone, that would amount to a 21 percent cut.

Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, told a Politico reporter last week that SNAP benefit cuts were not part of his plan, but cuts of this magnitude would probably have significant effects on people who use the program.

Other spending cuts

Cut by at least $562 billion

Four other committees are instructed to make additional cuts of tens of billions of dollars. But there’s more, too: An amendment added to the budget resolution by committee members means lawmakers will need to find an additional $500 billion in spending reductions. That extra set of cuts has not been parceled out to individual committees.

Spending increases

The budget also includes a small amount of increased spending, primarily focused on border security.

Judiciary and Homeland Security

Increase by up to $190 billion

These two committees share jurisdiction over border security programs. It’s unclear if they both plan to increase spending by their maximum allowed amount, but $110 billion would represent an 11 percent increase for Judiciary Committee programs, and $90 billion would represent a 21 percent increase for Homeland Security programs.

Armed Services

Increase by up to $100 billion

The maximum increase would represent 1 percent of projected defense spending over the next 10 years. It would most likely expand the military’s involvement in border security, a major administration priority that is already requiring a reshuffling of resources. This week the defense secretary asked the military branches to propose 8 percent budget cuts for the next five years, another move intended to free up resources for the border.

Tax cuts

Up to $4.5 trillion in tax reductions

Extending $4 trillion in expiring tax cuts passed during the first Trump administration represents the biggest policy priority in the bill, both in emphasis and dollars.

The budget would allow the tax-writing Ways and Means committee to decrease federal revenue by as much as $4.5 trillion over a decade, an allowance that may mean new tax cuts, too.

The tax cut extension lowers rates for almost all Americans but benefits the wealthiest taxpayers the most, in raw dollars and as a share of their income.

The committee may also eliminate some green energy tax credits passed in the Biden administration or limit some tax deductions to permit further cuts without exceeding the budget’s overall limit. The budget committee document listed several possible options, such as reducing the deduction for state and local taxes, increasing taxes on university endowments, and eliminating the tax exemption for nonprofit hospitals.

The committee also has jurisdiction over some health care programs, including Medicare and the Affordable Care Act. Spending cuts to the programs might help the committee cut taxes more while still staying under the limit set by the budget.

Deficits and debt

Because the tax cuts and spending increases significantly outweigh the spending cuts in the budget, it would directly add $2.8 trillion to deficits over the next 10 years. (It could ultimately add an estimated $3.4 trillion to the national debt because of the costs associated with increased borrowing.) Tables released with the House bill assume aggressive economic growth that would help cover the bulk of this increase, but budget experts say the assumptions are unrealistic.

Also included in the bill: a $4 trillion increase to the debt limit, the cap on the amount the government is authorized to borrow. The U.S. hit its current limit in January, and the Treasury has been employing accounting maneuvers called “extraordinary measures” to continue paying the government’s bills.