Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” Exposed: Promises of Fiscal Discipline Mask Trillion-Dollar Deficit Surge

Donald Trump’s newly proposed “Big Beautiful Bill” is being promoted as a return to fiscal sanity — a bold attempt to cut waste, lower taxes, and streamline the federal government. But a closer look at the numbers tells a very different story. Behind the headlines and political fanfare lies a spending plan that increases the national deficit by trillions, expands military and homeland security budgets to record highs, and slashes funding to science, education, and health — all while leaving corporate tax loopholes and government inefficiencies untouched. For voters who rallied behind promises of budget cuts and government reform, the reality may come as a shock.

Agency / Program	FY 2019 (Pre-COVID)	FY 2021 (Post-COVID Peak)	FY 2026 (Trump Proposal)
Department of Defense (DoD)	$686	$721	$1,010
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)	$51	$52	$175
Medicaid	$389	$458	~$400 (with projected cuts)
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)	$60	$114	~$70 (with projected cuts)
Department of Education	$72	$68	~$50
National Institutes of Health (NIH)	$39	$42	$27
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)	$7.3	$8.0	$5.2
NASA	$21.5	$23.3	$18.8
National Science Foundation (NSF)	$8.1	$8.5	$4.0
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)	$5.4	$6.1	$4.5

Key Observations:

• Defense and Homeland Security: Significant increases are proposed in the FY 2026 budget, with DoD funding rising to over $1 trillion and DHS receiving a substantial boost, reflecting priorities in military and border security.

  
  

• Health and Science Agencies: The proposed budget suggests notable reductions in funding for agencies like NIH, CDC, NASA, NSF, and NOAA, indicating a shift in focus away from certain scientific and health research initiatives.

• Social Programs: Programs such as Medicaid and SNAP saw increased funding during the COVID-19 pandemic (FY 2021) to address heightened needs. The FY 2026 proposal includes cuts to these programs, aiming to reduce federal expenditures.

• Medicaid: ~$80–100B in cuts over 10 years via stricter work requirements and block grants to states.

• SNAP (Food Stamps): Reduced by tightening eligibility and imposing new work requirements.

• Education: The Department of Education's budget is proposed to decrease, continuing a trend from the post-COVID peak spending.

---

What May Shock Fiscal Conservative Voters:

1. No Major Pentagon Cuts→ Defense spending is increased to over $1 trillion, with no serious audit or oversight reforms. We expected reductions or at least scrutiny of defense contractor waste.

2. No Elimination of Major Government Agencies→ Despite rhetoric about “draining the swamp,” there’s no structural agency shutdown or broad elimination of departments (e.g. IRS, DOE, etc.), just minor trims.

3. Deficit-Exploding Tax Cuts→ Making Trump-era tax cuts permanent and expanding them (no taxes on tips, overtime, etc.) adds trillions to the national debt — without equivalent spending offsets.

4. Interest Payments Still Rising→ Interest on debt projected to exceed $1.6 trillion annually by 2033 under current path — the bill doesn't stop or reverse this trend.

5. Corporate Subsidies & Loopholes Untouched→ No meaningful attempt to cut corporate welfare, oil/gas subsidies, or aggressive tax avoidance practices by large firms.

6. No Balanced Budget Plan→ Despite campaign promises, this bill does not even attempt to balance the federal budget or reduce total debt.

7. Increased DHS Spending & Surveillance Tools→ Homeland Security sees a massive increase — from ~$50B to $175B — much of it targeted for border security, surveillance, and federal law enforcement expansion.

8. 
   

Summary for Voters Expecting Budget Reform:

This bill rebrands tax cuts and agency trims as fiscal reform, but avoids tackling the biggest drivers of spending growth (defense, entitlements, interest) and does not reduce the deficit in any meaningful way. In fact, it likely increases it.

---

Promises vs. Reality in Trump’s Budget Bill (with Dollar Impact)

Category	What Was Promised	What the Bill Delivers	Change in Spending
Federal Budget Deficit	Slash the deficit through deep spending cuts	Increases the deficit due to permanent tax cuts with no full offset	+$2–$3 Trillion
National Debt	Begin reducing the $30+ trillion national debt	Debt continues to rise annually with no repayment plan	+$3 Trillion+
Defense Spending	Audit and reduce Pentagon waste	Increases from $686B to over $1 Trillion	+$325 Billion
IRS/DOE Shutdown or Cuts	Shrink or eliminate "wasteful" federal agencies	No shutdowns; DOE and IRS remain intact	~$0
Corporate Welfare	End taxpayer handouts to corporations	No cuts to subsidies or corporate tax breaks	$0
Medicaid/SNAP Spending	Protect social programs while cutting abuse	Reduced via work requirements and tighter eligibility	–$100B to –$150 Billion
Public Health / Science Funding	Prioritize science, space, and health investment	NIH, CDC, NASA, and NSF face deep funding cuts	–$30 to –$40 Billion
Foreign Aid	Reduce foreign aid dramatically	Modest reductions; programs still funded	–$10 to –$15 Billion
Balanced Budget Commitment	Balance the federal budget over time	No pathway to balancing; deficits remain indefinitely	$0
Tax Loopholes / Offshore Reform	Crack down on corporate tax havens and legal loopholes	No enforcement, no new laws, status quo maintained	$0

In theory, the bill is meant to shrink government and protect American taxpayers. In practice, it deepens our fiscal hole, prioritizes political optics over structural reform, and preserves the very inefficiencies it claims to eliminate. While some Americans may appreciate the tax relief and domestic security focus, the long-term consequences — from exploding debt interest to underfunded public health infrastructure — may ultimately cost the country more than it saves. For those expecting serious reform, this bill is not a solution — it’s a rebrand of business as usual.