US House Passes Trump Budget Bill Including Tax Cuts, Anti-Trans Healthcare Provisions

The U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed the "One Big Beautiful Bill," a comprehensive tax and spending package championed by former President Donald Trump, which includes massive tax cuts, funding for military and border security, and a $4 trillion increase in the debt ceiling. While celebrated by Trump and House Republicans as a historic legislative victory, the bill has been sharply criticized for provisions that strip Medicaid and CHIP of coverage for gender-affirming care, including surgeries, hormone treatments, and puberty blockers, significantly impacting transgender individuals across the country. Democrats and LGBTQ+ advocates condemned the bill as cruel and harmful, highlighting the detrimental effects on healthcare access for the transgender community. The bill's passage has also influenced U.S. debt markets, with rising interest rates on government bonds reflecting investor concerns about the growing deficit, which independent analyses estimate could increase by $2 to $4 trillion over the next decade. Trump framed the bill as a rebuke of Democratic priorities on issues like border security and transgender rights, urging the Senate to quickly approve the legislation. The Senate, also controlled by Republicans, now faces pressure to finalize the bill before the July 4 deadline.