Utahns’ role in Trump’s ‘Big, beautiful bill’ passing the Senate

WASHINGTON D.C. (ABC4) — The United States Senate has passed President Trump’s tax bill with Vice President JD Vance breaking a 50-50 tie.

The bill must now pass the House before reaching President Trump’s desk to be passed into law.

Utah Senators’ involvement in the bill

Following the bill’s passing, Senator John Curtis issued the following statement:

“The Big Beautiful Bill delivers for Utahns. It secures the border, provides permanent tax relief for working families, and strengthens our military. I’m grateful to Leader (John) Thune and Finance Chair (Mike) Crapo for including my changes to the energy credits—key for business certainty and for Utah’s energy future. I look forward to the House sending it to the President before the Fourth.“

Senator Mike Lee published a clip of Vice President Vance casting the tie-breaking vote minutes after the bill passed.

On Saturday, June 28, Senator Lee announced that the public lands provision, which aimed to make over one million acres of federal land eligible for sale, was removed from the bill ahead of the Senate vote. Lee cited strict constraints of the budget reconciliation process as a reason for the provision’s removal.

“The removal of Sen. Lee’s universally unpopular sell-off plans is a win for all Americans, ensuring that public lands remain public,” said D.C. Director of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Travis Hammill. “While we celebrate this accomplishment, the legislation guts tax credits for clean energy, attacks the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), creates new handouts to extractive industries, and includes many other terrible provisions.”

Three Republicans opposed the bill including Senators Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine, and Rand Paul of Kentucky.

What is the Big Beautiful Bill?

The near-thousand-page bill includes tax breaks and spending cuts, including many campaign promises from President Trump, such as no taxes on tips and the ability to deduct interest payments for some auto loans. The bill would also boost the child tax credit; however, millions of lower-income families would not get the full credit.

The bill also allocates new money for national defense and deportations related to immigration enforcement by adding $46 billion for the border wall and $45 billion for migrant detention facility beds. Furthermore, the bill would add $25 billion for the development of the Golden Dome missile defense system.

According to the Congressional Budget Office’s review, the bill would add almost $3.3 trillion to the national debt from 2025 to 2034. The same review found that the bill would see a $12,000 increase to America’s wealthiest households while costing the nation’s poorest population about $1,600 per year.

The House of Representatives will need to pass the bill before it can be signed into law by President Trump.