The Impact of the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" on Students, Families, and Public Education
Analysis and Statements from the Education & Work Programs at New America
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July 3, 2025
On July 3, 2025, the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed the final version of what has been called the "One Big Beautiful Bill," 218-214. This legislation moved through Congress as a "reconciliation bill," meaning that its journey to enactment did not go through the process that is typical with regular legislation, which would require 60 votes in the U.S. Senate to pass. Instead it required only a simple majority in both the House and Senate. In the Senate, the vote to approve the bill was tied 50-50, with Vice President JD Vance providing the tie-breaking vote.
New America's Education & Work programs have been tracking the threat of funding cuts and various iterations of the bill over the past several months, with numerous articles and blog posts about the bill's impact, and will continue to provide analysis after enactment. As we say in the statement below, this far-reaching legislation represents a huge set back for American education, from the earliest years through post-secondary education and the workforce, and it will have significant negative effects on the health and well-being of students, families, and workers across our country.