One Big Beautiful Bill Act

July 10, 2025

Dueling Views on the “One Big Beautiful Bill” and Its Impact on Social Security

The Social Security Administration (SSA) and legal scholars have offered sharply differing perspectives on the recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill. In an official communication, the SSA hails the legislation as a historic victory for seniors, emphasizing tax relief for nearly 90% of Social Security recipients. By contrast, in a commentary published by VERDICT: Legal Analysis and Commentary from Justia, Amherst professor Austin Sarat criticizes the SSA’s messaging as a politicized distortion, arguing that it prioritizes presidential branding over transparency and fails to address the deeper structural challenges facing Social Security. These conflicting narratives raise important questions about policy substance, public trust, and the politicization of federal agencies.

VIEW ONE:

From the Social Security Administration:

July 10, 2025

H.R. 1 (119th Cong.): Summary of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” *

by David Badertscher

On July 4, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed into law H.R. 1, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted as Pub. L. No. 119–21, 139 Stat. ___ (2025). Passed through the budget reconciliation process under the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, this comprehensive legislation represents a central pillar of the Trump administration’s second-term domestic agenda. It enacts sweeping reforms to the federal tax code, restructures discretionary and entitlement spending. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act does not suspend the debt ceiling through FY 2027. Instead, it raises the debt limit by a specific $5 trillion—an amount projected to sustain federal borrowing for roughly one to two years [i.e., until 2026–27, depending on fiscal trends].

Legislative History and Process

H.R. 1 advanced through Congress under budget reconciliation procedures, thereby circumventing the Senate filibuster and requiring only a simple majority for passage. This expedited pathway allowed the bill’s tax and spending provisions to be consolidated into a single legislative package and enacted swiftly along party lines.

June 30, 2025

Estimated Budgetary Effects of Title VII, Finance, Within an Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.R. 1

by David Badertscher

From the Congressional Budget Office. June 27, 2025.

SUMMARY:

CBO provides information regarding the agency’s analysis of an amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, as posted on the website of the Senate Committee on the Budget on June 27, 2025 (https://tinyurl.com/2ejs4ut5).