Trump Signs ‘Big, Beautiful’ Bill on US Independence Day

AFP/APP

Washington: US President Donald Trump signed his flagship tax and spending bill into law on Friday during a grand Independence Day ceremony at the White House, highlighted by a dramatic flyover of B-2 stealth bombers.

“America is winning, winning, winning like never before,” Trump declared as he signed the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill,” flanked by Republican lawmakers who had rallied to push the legislation through a divided Congress just in time for the Fourth of July, marking America’s 249th birthday.

The ceremony opened with two B-2 bombers—the same aircraft recently used in US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites—soaring above the White House, accompanied by fighter jets. Among the guests were the pilots involved in those operations, invited by the President himself.

The sprawling mega-bill delivers on many of Trump’s campaign promises: extending tax cuts from his first term, increasing military spending, and injecting substantial new funding into his migrant deportation agenda. Despite concerns over its long-term economic impact, Trump downplayed the risks.

“It’s the largest spending cut,” he said, standing beside First Lady Melania Trump, “and yet you won’t even notice it.”

Republican Divisions

Despite its passage, the bill faced considerable resistance within Trump’s own Republican Party. It narrowly passed the House of Representatives by a 218-214 vote, following a late-night effort by Republican Speaker Mike Johnson to win over last-minute holdouts. Trump publicly thanked Johnson for his role in securing the victory.

Billionaire Elon Musk, once a close ally of Trump, voiced strong opposition to the bill, calling it fiscally reckless.

The legislation follows a string of recent wins for Trump, including a Supreme Court ruling limiting the power of federal judges to block his policies, and a new NATO deal on defense spending.

However, the bill is projected to add $3.4 trillion to the national deficit over the next decade. It also slashes key welfare programs, including the federal food assistance initiative and Medicaid, marking the deepest cuts to the healthcare program for low-income Americans since its creation in the 1960s.

Analysts estimate that up to 17 million people could lose health coverage under the new law, with dozens of rural hospitals at risk of closure.

Democrats are banking on public backlash to the bill to fuel a political comeback in the 2026 midterm elections. They argue the legislation represents a massive transfer of wealth from the poorest Americans to the richest, further widening the inequality gap.