President Donald Trump has hailed his sweeping domestic policy bill as ‘very popular,’ despite widespread polling showing most Americans are not in favor of the large spending and tax cut package. The bill, which passed Congress with near-party line votes, includes significant tax cuts, immigration measures, and reforms to Medicaid. While Trump claims the measure is popular due to its tax cuts, polls show the majority of Americans oppose it, with the latest Fox News poll indicating 59% oppose the bill.
The measure, formally known as the One, Big, Beautiful Bill, is expected to be signed by President Trump at the White House later this week. It includes extending the 2017 tax cuts permanently, which are set to expire later this year, and eliminates taxes on tips and overtime pay. According to the Congressional Budget Office and the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, the bill will cut taxes by nearly $4.4 trillion over the next decade.
The bill also provides billions for border security and codifies Trump’s controversial immigration crackdown. However, Democrats have criticized the bill, highlighting the GOP’s restructuring of Medicaid, a nearly 60-year-old federal program that provides health coverage to roughly 71 million low-income Americans. Senate Republicans increased cuts to Medicaid over what the House initially passed in late May. These changes, along with cuts to food stamps, were drafted in part as an offset to pay for extending Trump’s tax cuts.
Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, called the measure ‘one of the worst bills in our nation’s history.’ He argued, ‘Today, Donald Trump and the Republican party sent a message to America: if you are not a billionaire, we don’t give a damn about you.’ The $3.4 trillion legislative package is projected to surge the national debt by $4 trillion over the next decade.
According to a Fox News national poll, voters questioned in the most recent survey opposed the bill by a 21-point margin (38% favored vs. 59% opposed). Other national surveys conducted last month by the Washington Post, Pew Research, and Quinnipiac University also showed the bill was underwater, with margins of minus 19 to 26 points. About half of respondents said the bill would hurt their family, while one quarter thought it would help, and another quarter didn’t think it would make a difference.
The latest surveys all indicated a wide partisan divide over the measure. According to the Fox News poll, nearly three-quarters of Republicans (73%) favored the bill, while nearly nine in ten Democrats (89%) and nearly three-quarters of independents (73%) opposed the measure. However, Republicans are highlighting a poll conducted by a GOP-aligned public policy group that indicates strong support for the bill due to the tax cut provisions.