President Donald Trump scored a pivotal legislative victory by signing the “Big, Beautiful Bill” (BBB) into law just before his self-imposed July 4th deadline. More than the policy details, the passage of the bill signals Trump’s growing strength in his second term and solidifies political momentum heading into the remainder of 2025.
Unlike many second-term presidents, Trump is not coasting. He is asserting control over Congress, correcting the missteps of his first term. In 2017, a divided GOP failed to repeal Obamacare, capped off by Sen. John McCain’s dramatic thumbs-down vote. That failure derailed Trump’s early agenda and gave Democrats and the media the narrative advantage. Though Trump signed tax cuts later that year, it was a hard-fought battle.
Now, with BBB, Trump has avoided those early pitfalls. Despite criticism that the bill is too costly and packed with establishment spending, it passed quickly and cleanly, giving Trump leverage. The bill includes measures to reduce welfare abuse over time, including a provision to remove illegal aliens from Medicaid rolls — a move aligned with longstanding conservative goals to restore fiscal discipline and prioritize citizens.
The contrast with the Biden administration is stark. Biden’s version of BBB — the “Build Back Better” plan — failed to clear Congress, with pieces only surviving in the rebranded “Inflation Reduction Act.” That legislative weakness helped define Biden’s presidency as ineffective and contributed to his failure to secure a second term.
Trump’s victory with BBB also shows improved coordination within the Republican Party. This time, there was no internal collapse. Instead, the GOP delivered, giving Trump what he lacked in 2017: a unified front and a strong legislative start.
With six months of his term behind him and the 250th anniversary of American independence ahead, Trump now holds a commanding position. The imperfections in the BBB can be addressed through future reconciliation bills. What matters is that the bill passed — on time, under budget projections, and without caving to Democrat demands.
