On July 4, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump signed the One, Big, Beautiful Bill. This bill is a massive federal statute that includes policies put in place by the Trump administration.
The main policies of this bill include tax deductions for tips and overtime pay and the creation of “Trump accounts,” which are tax advantage investment accounts in which babies born between 2025 and 2028 receive $1000 in an investment account.
From the beginning, though, this bill has sparked many controversies.
Specifically, this bill has faced public backlash over its introduction of “professional” and “unprofessional” college degrees and its effect on healthcare programs.
“I inherently already don’t agree with most of the administration,” said junior Sebastian Sotomayor. “Its a big power grab, and almost like a big ego move. He (Donald Trump) wants to see how far he can go before someone tells him to stop.”
Some students and staff at SHS disagree with the bill in regards to its addition of unprofessional degrees, which are being implemented to cap federal student loans believing it will have negative effects on higher education. Furthermore, there are concerns over the cuts being made to healthcare, which have already started to take effect.
The development of “unprofessional” and “professional” degrees can result in many students losing their opportunity to gain higher education.
A few of the “professional” degrees include dentistry and veterinary while the “unprofessional” degrees are nursing, education and social services.
These changes affect students studying “unprofessional” degrees who rely on financial aid and loans to fund their tuition. Because these degrees are considered “unprofessional,” students can’t take out loans without restrictive caps of $20,500 a year and $100,000 in total, while students with degrees the government sees as professional are able to borrow $50,000 a year and up to $200,000 in total.
“It’s (the implementation of unprofessional degrees) something that I do not like,” sophomore Charles Albers-Jones said. “Saying that a nurse is unprofessional is quite unreasonable.”
This is particularly concerning for low-income students who aren’t able to afford college on their own. This new development could result in many students losing their opportunity to gain higher education.
Opposition to this bill has also raised concerns about how it will affect healthcare. The bill is set to take away $1 trillion from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. This is expected to prevent roughly 5 million people from receiving Medicaid, according to the Center for Medicare Advocacy.
“I think that it (healthcare) is a very valuable resource that should be available to all Americans,” Albers-Jones said. “Cutting funding is taking away from many people, even people I know, so it’s just something I’m really passionate about.
English teacher Sam Hanley expressed a similar opinion.
“I think it’s stupid,” Hanley said. “I think that Healthcare shouldn’t make you broke.”
The One Big Beautiful Bill is going to make massive changes to the country, but not all of the changes have taken place yet. Only time will tell if this bill will benefit or hinder the country and its people.
