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    "original_url": "https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/09\/23\/us\/politics\/one-big-beautiful-bill-midterms-affordability.html?emc=edit_nn_20260924&nl=the-morning&segment_id=226986",
    "parsed_content": "The Race for CongressPrimary Season TakeawaysVoting by MailLatest PollsCompetitive RacesSeat PickupsAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTSupported bySKIP ADVERTISEMENTTrump\u2019s Signature Tax Bill Is Starting to Bite Before the ElectionThe tax cuts in President Trump\u2019s signature achievement were the Republicans\u2019 answer to voters\u2019 economic struggles, but its health care and food assistance cuts are taking a toll.Listen \u00b7 7:45 min Share full articleA free grocery store in Newark could help people cut off from food assistance by the Republicans\u2019 signature achievement, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.Credit...Michelle V. Agins\/The New York TimesBy Audra D. S. BurchSept. 23, 2026See more of our coverage in your search results.Encuentra m\u00e1s de nuestra cobertura en los resultados de b\u00fasqueda. Add The New York Times on GoogleAgrega The New York Times en Google In a midterm election largely shaped by struggles with affordability, Republicans are hanging many of their hopes on President Trump\u2019s signature domestic policy law, the sprawling package of spending increases and tax breaks dubbed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.But to partially offset its largess, which totals more than $3 trillion, the law also cut social services, including Medicaid, health care subsidies and food assistance, known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. How voters view the law depends largely on which side of the federal ledger they find themselves \u2014 recipients of tax cuts or beneficiaries of programs that have been cut.\u201cThis legislation touches everything,\u201d said Ashley Whitlock, a substitute teacher from Belmont, N.C., who lost her SNAP benefits in the summer. \u201cIf it doesn\u2019t impact you, it impacts someone you know.\u201dMore than a year after passage of the Big Beautiful Bill, public opinion about its impact is entrenched mostly along partisan fault lines. But personal experience is beginning to come into play.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTSome praise larger tax refunds and tax breaks that allowed them to take home more money earned from tips and overtime. But at a moment when the cost of living is rising faster than wages, many say the law has plunged Americans into financial uncertainty with the law\u2019s cuts to programs that helped put food on the table and provide affordable health care.ImageThe Big Beautiful Bill included a tax credit for tipped wages to fulfill President Trump\u2019s promise of no taxes on tips.Credit...Michelle Groskopf for The New York Times\u201cCan you imagine going from a monthly premium of zero to $850?\u201d asked Dina Rose Friedman, 64, who lives in Irvington, N.Y., and lost her health insurance subsidy. \u201cI remember freaking out.\u201dFor more than a decade, Ms. Friedman has worked as an early childhood educator and Sunday school teacher. The work is gratifying, she said, but does not command a high salary. She felt lucky to have found affordable insurance through the New York State of Health exchange, established by the Affordable Care Act, which provided comprehensive care for her diabetes.But in July, she joined the nearly half-million New Yorkers who lost their low-cost health coverage, known as the Essential Plan, after expanded federal subsidies signed by President Joseph R. Biden Jr. were allowed to lapse.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTNow, Ms. Friedman\u2019s health care coverage takes a significant bite of her combined salary of about $41,000. To her, the changes felt like an attack on people who earn lower wages.Losing insurance and trying to replace it with an affordable plan \u201chas been overwhelming,\u201d said Ms. Friedman, who now relies on help from family and her savings to pay the monthly premium.The Big Beautiful Bill was supposed to be the Republican answer to frustrations with the rising cost of living. When Mr. Trump signed it, he said it would \u201cturbocharge our economy\u201d and \u201cbring back the American dream.\u201dKush Desai, a White House spokesman, says it has.\u201cTens of millions of Americans took advantage of at least one of President Trump\u2019s signature tax provisions: no tax on tips, overtime or Social Security,\u201d he said in a statement. The tax provisions, he added, were \u201cfueling investment and private-sector job growth \u2014 creating opportunities for Americans to get off government coverage with meaningful employment that provides health benefits.\u201dAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTLast year, about 29 million workers claimed the law\u2019s deduction for overtime, while about 7.5 million claimed the tip deduction, according to the Treasury Department. More than 35 million seniors claimed an enhanced deduction, which was passed to come close to making good on Mr. Trump\u2019s promise to end taxes on Social Security, and nearly 40 million took advantage of an expanded child care credit.ImageThe Big Beautiful Bill allowed expanded subsidies for health insurance to lapse while imposing cuts and work requirements on Medicaid.Credit...Shuran Huang for The New York TimesJeff Zepp, 67, a small-business owner, said he benefited from the new senior deduction, which lowers taxable income by up to $6,000 for individuals 65 and older or up to $12,000 for married couples filing jointly. He paid about $1,200 less in federal taxes in 2025.\u201cI think the One Big Beautiful Bill is wonderful,\u201d said Mr. Zepp, who lives in Kittredge, Colo., a mountain community near Denver. \u201cIf it weren\u2019t for the law, we would have paid a lot more in taxes.\u201dGet updates when new midterm election polls are added to our poll trackers. When new polling data drops we\u2019ll send an update straight to your inbox. Get it sent to your inbox.The savings helped reaffirm his support of Mr. Trump and the Republicans, he said.\u201cThe Democrats really only have one platform, and that is that the orange man is bad and that the One Big Beautiful Bill was cruel,\u201d Mr. Zepp said.The legislation also made significant cuts, which Republicans said were necessary to combat government bloat, fraud and abuse.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTAbout $1 trillion in federal spending was cut from Medicaid through 2034, and eligibility was tightened. New Medicaid mandates on work and volunteer requirements do not begin taking effect until January 2027, months after the election. Millions of people will eventually have to prove they meet the work, school or volunteer requirements to remain eligible.About five million people in the country have already lost SNAP benefits \u2014 the government\u2019s primary anti-hunger tool \u2014 because of tighter requirements enacted in the legislation, according to the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which analyzed U.S. Department of Agriculture and state data.One retiree in Ohio, who spoke on condition of anonymity to not bring attention to her situation, described SNAP benefits as a \u201clifeline.\u201d Her benefits dropped to $44 from $250 in March.Last year, Matti Puistolahti, a student at College of Lake County in suburban Chicago, relied on about $200 in monthly SNAP benefits. In October, he received a letter stating that he was no longer eligible; he did not meet the work requirements.\u201cI was working as a tutor for 12 hours a week at $15 per hour, but that wasn\u2019t enough hours,\u201d Mr. Puistolahti, 27, said. \u201cYou would think they would give some kind of leniency as a student, but they don\u2019t.\u201dAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT\u201cAll of a sudden,\u201d he continued, \u201cI had to think about food a lot more and be more cautious about what I was buying.\u201dEventually, Mr. Puistolahti received a federal grant and scholarships, which freed up more of his part-time pay for living expenses.Out of work and struggling, Ms. Whitlock, 46, the North Carolina substitute teacher, lost about $300 in SNAP monthly benefits in July because she didn\u2019t meet the new work requirements. She found a substitute teaching job at a high school in April and worked a short time before the end of the school year.She did not return to work until August. Since the benefits were cut, Ms. Whitlock has scrambled to find food.\u201cI have been going to churches and food pantries to survive,\u201d she said.She said she hopes the benefits will be restored after she submits her 2026 paychecks to document her work hours.But another possible hurdle looms next year \u2014 Medicaid work mandates.\u201cThis has been so confusing, trying to figure out how the legislation works and to make sure everything is documented,\u201d Ms. Whitlock said. \u201cI believe it is going to hurt a lot of people.\u201dAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT",
    "published_at": "2026-09-23T09:01:02+00:00",
    "author_name": "Audra D. S. Burch",
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    "ai_headline": "Trump\u2019s Signature Tax Bill Is Starting to Bite Before the Election",
    "ai_simplified_title": "Trump Tax Bill Impacts Voters Ahead of Midterm Election",
    "ai_excerpt": "President Trump's signature tax bill, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, is facing scrutiny ahead of the midterm elections. While some benefit from tax cuts, others are struggling with cuts to social services like Medicaid and food assistance.",
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