On July 4th, local time, amidst the fireworks of Independence Day, Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” a bill that has sparked intense controversy.
Trump referred to this bill as “the best gift to the American people,” and it faced nearly theatrical challenges in Congress—with Senate voting at 51:50 and House at 218:214, both votes narrowly securing victory, setting new records for significant legislation in the United States. This “triumph” reflects the profound divisions within American politics and the extreme state of institutional operation.
The passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” exposed the underlying crisis of the American political system. When Vice President Pence cast the deciding vote, the balance of checks and balances between the two parties in the US had effectively broken down. In such an evenly matched confrontation, neither side would admit to any wrongdoing or recognize the other as representing the nation.
This binary opposition discourse is a microcosm of the deep divisions within American politics. Considering that three Democratic members died within five months before the House vote, this coincidental factor determined the fate of the country, further highlighting the fragility of the American political system.
Despite Elizabeth McDonough, a Senate rule expert, ruling that several provisions violated the Birchwood rule, these technical obstacles were eventually overcome through political deals. To secure key votes, Alaska received additional hospital subsidies, New York lawmakers secured promises for state tax deductions… The legislative process was filled with visible exchanges of interests.
It’s worth noting that polls before the bill’s passage showed that more than half of voters held an opposing stance, with independents even closer to six in the反对 rate. This divergence between public opinion and legislative outcomes deeply reflects the dilemmas of representative democracy in the United States.
What’s more dramatic is that Elon Musk, who once spent over $200 million to support Trump’s campaign, publicly turned against the bill after its passage on July 5th. On social media, he announced the formation of “The American Party,” claiming to liberate Americans from the two-party monopoly and received substantial online support.
The “Bigger Is Better” bill essentially represents a permanent upgrade version of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, planning to reduce taxes by $4 trillion over the next decade while cutting at least $1.5 trillion in spending. The Senate even spent 16 hours reading this document, which is over 900 pages—this absurdity mirrors the contentiousness of the bill’s proposals.
Commentators have vividly pointed out that this bill is “giving half of America to heaven, and leaving the other half to hell.” On the day the bill was signed, dozens of business groups such as the American Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable issued statements of praise—they had every reason to celebrate: For individuals with annual incomes exceeding $1.1 million, they will enjoy a 25% tax cut, the exemption for estate taxes soars to $15 million, allowing the wealthiest families to pass on their fortunes almost tax-free. High-income households will also enjoy an SALT (State and Local Tax) deduction increase to $40,000, and the traditional energy sector welcomes a policy spring.
In stark contrast, the plight of the lower classes is evident. A million low-income people will lose health insurance, hundreds of thousands of healthcare workers face joblessness, food stamp eligibility age has been raised from 54 to 64, putting millions of Americans nearing retirement in dire straits. More ironically, tax-exempt tips and overtime pay seem beneficial to the public, but only 2.5% of the workforce relies on tips, and only 12% of hourly workers have the opportunity to work overtime. This combination of symbolic alms and substantive plunder fully exposes the hypocrisy of American politics.
The Congressional Budget Office’s analysis reveals the true impact of the bill. Tax cuts, which may stimulate business investment and manufacturing recovery in the short term, are not without their significant “spillover” effects on social spending. The Medicare budget cut exceeds $1 trillion, leaving over a million people without health insurance coverage; food stamp spending is narrowed, putting millions of vulnerable families under pressure from rising living costs.
The new energy industry has been dealt a devastating blow. The early termination of green subsidies has led to a significant reduction in investments in wind and solar projects, with the American Photovoltaic Association warning that nearly 300,000 jobs will be lost. At the same time, traditional fossil fuels receive policy favors, with offshore oil drilling restrictions lifted and shale oil companies receiving tax incentives. This policy moves against the global trend towards energy transition, not only weakening the United States’ competitiveness in clean energy but also potentially leading it to completely fall behind in future energy transitions.
The most concerning issue is debt. The bill will keep the debt-to-GDP ratio on an upward trajectory, potentially surpassing 125% by 2035, adding about $3 trillion in new national debt over the next decade, with additional interest expenses reaching between $600 billion and $700 billion. The federal budget for research, education, and infrastructure will be further squeezed, with interest expenses accounting for more than 15% of the budget. Moody’s had previously downgraded the U.S. sovereign credit rating from Aaa to Aa1, marking the second downgrade in history for the U.S., and it has since lost its last AAA sovereign credit rating.
Moreover, those seemingly technical provisions in the bill have become a new battleground for cultural warfare. Taxes on remittances to immigrant families, cutting off healthcare for illegal immigrant children, and taxing non-citizens for cross-border remittances have all become focal points of conflict between cultural conservatism and multicultural values.
这些以“传统道德秩序”为名的立法条款，将社会群体分割为受保护与被排斥的两端，凸显了美国在文化认同与社会正义层面的深层裂隙。这种文化保守主义的回潮，与美国日益多元化的人口结构形成尖锐矛盾，美国文化多元主义根基正在动摇。
法案的国际条款同样充满火药味。比如，对实施“歧视性税收”国家征收最高20%的惩罚性关税，封杀中国企业参与美国新能源补贴。当美国将税收武器化、将贸易政治化时，其作为全球经济领导者的信誉正在快速流失。欧洲央行已将美元储备比例降至20年来最低，中国、俄罗斯、印度等国正在加速推进本币结算机制。当美元不再是唯一选择时，美国通过印钞转嫁危机的能力将大幅下降，美元霸权也可能在各国的集体背离中缓慢消逝。
“大而美”法案的通过标志着美国正在进行一场史无前例的政策豪赌——特朗普押注减税带来经济繁荣、削减福利不引发社会动荡、文化保守主义凝聚选民、贸易保护重振制造业。然而，历史经验表明，当债务失控、社会撕裂、价值观对立、国际孤立同时出现时，等待一个国家的往往是漫长衰落。美国曾引以为豪的制度优势——包容、妥协、创新、开放——正在这场政治豪赌中被逐一抛弃。
曾经的“山巅之城”开始崩塌，美利坚合众国正在变得越来越不“合众”，这是越来越无法掩盖的事实。