From taxes to student loan forgiveness, provisions in President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill” are one step closer to affecting Americans’ wallets.
Earlier this week, the Senate narrowly passed its version of Trump’s expansive domestic agenda that would extend the president’s 2017 tax cuts and make key changes to the tax system, along with implementing significant changes to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Now, House Republicans have to plot a way forward. They could accept the Senate’s changes to the legislation and send it to Trump’s desk, or make additional tweaks of their own. Trump has pressured Congress to pass the bill by the 4th of July, adding a pressing deadline to the debate.
Beyond the effects on Americans’ wallets, the legislation provides roughly $150 billion to ramp up immigration enforcement.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the bill would add at least $3.3 trillion to the US deficit. In May, Moody’s Analytics downgraded the US’s credit rating, citing rising federal debt. It said an extension of Trump’s 2017 taxes could add $4 trillion to the deficit over the next decade. This could lead to higher interest rates on mortgages, auto loans, and more down the road.
Here are four other key ways the tax bill could affect Americans’ finances.
A slew of tax policies
Many of Trump’s campaign promises are included in the tax bill.
The legislation would eliminate taxes on tips and overtime wages. About two-thirds of tipped workers earn enough to owe federal income tax. After a final bill is signed, the Trump administration will release a list of qualifying occupations.
The Senate bill includes a $6,000 tax deduction for older people making less than $75,000 a year ($150,000 for couples). Seniors making above that threshold would see a decreasing deduction until hitting a cap of $175,000 ($250,000 for couples). Lower-income seniors likely won’t benefit from the deduction. The provision is how lawmakers are trying to fulfill Trump’s promise to end taxes on Social Security payments. The deduction would run through 2028.
Another provision would permanently raise the child tax credit to $2,200. Additionally, it would eliminate electric vehicle tax credits after September. It also proposes ending tax credits for homeowners to install solar panels or energy-efficient heat pumps and incentives for new energy-efficient homes and home weatherization projects by the end of this year.
The bill would also make Trump’s 2017 tax cuts permanent and increase the state and local tax deduction, known as SALT, from $10,000 to $40,000 in 2025, $40,400 in 2026, and increase an additional 1% every year through 2029 before reverting to $10,000 in 2030. Lifting the SALT cap allows wealthy taxpayers in states and cities with high taxes to claim a bigger federal deduction, and the cap is something some Republican lawmakers have sought to raise or eliminate.
Student loan forgiveness repealed
Under the Senate bill, millions of student loan borrowers would see their repayment options change. The legislation proposes eliminating existing income-driven repayment plans and replacing them with two options: the Repayment Assistance Plan and a standard repayment plan.
The Repayment Assistance Plan would allow for loan forgiveness after 360 qualifying payments based on the borrowers’ income, while the standard repayment plan would require a fixed monthly payment over a period set by the servicer.
The bill also would repeal former President Joe Biden’s SAVE plan, an income-driven repayment plan that promised cheaper monthly payments and a shorter timeline for debt relief. The plan is blocked in court pending a final legal decision.
‘Trump accounts’
If the bill passes, parents could get extra money for their kids down the line. The tax bill includes a “Trump account,” previously called a “money account for growth and advancement,” or MAGA account. The government would put $1,000 into accounts for babies born after December 31, 2024, and before January 1, 2029. The baby would be required to have been born in the US and have a Social Security number to receive the cash. The money would need to be invested in a qualified index fund and can’t be touched until the child turns 18. Parents and others could contribute up to $5,000 a year to each account.
The accounts would have tax incentives; earnings would be tax-deferred, meaning taxes on the accounts would not need to be paid right away. Withdrawals from the accounts would also be taxed at the long-term capital-gains rate, which is dependent on income and typically lower than the regular income tax rate.
Work requirements for Medicaid and SNAP
Lower-income Americans could face bigger healthcare costs or lose federal assistance benefits. The tax bill would mean significant changes for the millions who rely on Medicaid and SNAP. The legislation would mandate that states implement an 80-hour-a-month work requirement by the end of 2026 for childless adults on Medicaid without a disability.
The Congressional Budget Office previously estimated that work requirements on Medicaid could strip coverage from over 8 million Americans over the next decade.
Additionally, the bill would extend the age range of adults subject to work requirements to receive SNAP to include adults ages 55 to 64. Currently, adults ages 18 to 54 without children can receive SNAP benefits only if they work at least 20 hours a week.
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