Trump’s Big Bologna Bill

A “Beautiful Bill” Stuffed with Secret Provisions That Undermine Democracy

President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” is being sold as a bold, streamlined solution to government dysfunction — a single piece of legislation to fund the government, reform policy, and fix what’s broken. But when you look inside, it’s not visionary. It’s bologna.

And like real bologna, you probably don’t want to know what’s been ground into it. But this time, you have to.

While much of the conversation has focused on the bill’s devastating cuts to Medicaid and Medicare — or the fiscal hypocrisy of adding trillions to the national debt — the deeper danger lies in the provisions that have nothing to do with money at all.

Hidden between the budget lines are sweeping changes that erode democratic safeguards, protect the Trump administration from legal accountability, and give free rein to dangerous new technologies just in time for the next election.

These are the kinds of changes that could never pass as standalone bills. So Trump’s allies buried them — deep inside the sausage.

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Restrictions on Judicial Enforcement

One of the most dangerous and underreported parts of the bill is a direct assault on the judiciary’s ability to act as a check on executive power. Section 70302 of the bill prohibits federal courts from using appropriated funds to enforce contempt of court orders against government officials — unless the plaintiff posts a financial bond.

That might sound like a technical detail. It’s not.

If a Trump appointee refuses to comply with a lawful court order, the courts could effectively be paralyzed unless a private citizen or organization is able to front the costs of enforcement. In a country where justice is supposed to be blind and accessible, this move shifts the balance of power firmly toward the executive branch.

Even more concerning, the language in this section applies retroactively — potentially impacting past, present, and future court rulings. This isn’t just about what happens moving forward; it’s about rewriting accountability after the fact.

This is not hypothetical. The Trump administration already exhibits a pattern of judicial defiance. In immigration cases, federal judges have reprimanded Trump officials for violating court orders, including unlawful deportations carried out in direct contradiction to judicial rulings. These are not isolated incidents—they signal a broader willingness to ignore judicial authority.

And if the judiciary cannot enforce its orders, what remains of our system of checks and balances? A government without a functioning court system is not just inefficient — it’s dangerous. This section of the bill sets a precedent that future administrations, regardless of political party, could exploit to evade justice.

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2. A 10-Year Ban on State and Local AI Regulation

Another buried landmine appears in Section 43201 of the bill. It imposes a sweeping 10-year moratorium on any state or local government passing laws that regulate artificial intelligence models, automated decision systems, or similar technologies.

This has been framed by supporters as a move for "regulatory clarity" and a way to promote innovation. But in practice, it strips cities and states of the ability to respond to one of the fastest-evolving threats to our democracy: AI-driven election manipulation.

Artificial intelligence is already being used to generate deepfakes, tailor propaganda, and micro-target voters based on manipulated behavioral data. The 2024 election saw the first wave. Without guardrails, the 2026 midterms and 2028 general election could become another playground for disinformation.

This provision disarms local election officials and lawmakers at a time when they need to be most agile. It hands the tools of influence to bad actors while tying the hands of those trying to protect the democratic process.

Consider this: some states were already preparing legislation to regulate deepfakes in political ads. Others were drafting bills to require transparency about AI-generated content in campaigns. All of that will be frozen under this bill. For an entire decade, any proactive steps to safeguard elections at the local or state level will be blocked — unless Congress intervenes.

And again: a rule like this would never pass as a standalone piece of legislation. Most Americans want more oversight of AI, not less. But jammed into a must-pass spending bill? It will slip through without a fight.

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Accountability Evasion by Design

What ties these two provisions together is their impact on accountability.

The judicial restrictions in Section 70302 make it harder to prosecute corruption, defiance of lawful subpoenas, and abuse of power. The AI regulation ban in Section 43201 makes it easier to manipulate the public without consequence.

Together, they tilt the playing field ahead of future elections. They reinforce a world in which powerful people can break rules, avoid consequences, and drown out truth with noise. They also show a disturbing trend: using the legislative process not to debate ideas, but to smuggle through structural changes that undermine transparency and rule of law.

This is legislating by ambush — using the complexity and urgency of budget negotiations to ram through ideas that would never survive public scrutiny. It’s not just bad policy. It’s a warning sign.

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Misusing the Appropriations Process

This bill isn’t just dangerous because of what’s inside it — it’s dangerous because of how it was passed.

Appropriations bills are meant to fund the day-to-day functions of government. They’re supposed to focus on spending priorities — not secretly rewrite the rules that govern our democracy. But that’s exactly what happened here.

To be clear, this kind of manipulation isn’t new. Lawmakers have long used spending bills to attach policy “riders” that couldn’t survive on their own — from abortion restrictions to rollbacks of environmental protections. But what makes this different is the sheer scale and constitutional weight of the provisions being hidden, and the fact that Trump insisted on wrapping everything into a single, must-pass package — by design, to avoid scrutiny.

By cramming sweeping policy changes — like restricting the courts’ enforcement powers and banning local governments from regulating AI — into a must-pass funding bill, Trump and his allies bypassed the legislative process that’s designed to promote transparency, accountability, and debate.

There were no hearings. No public debate. No amendments in committee. Just one massive bill, with everything rolled together — daring lawmakers to vote against it and risk a government shutdown. For many Republicans, there was also the added pressure of defying President Trump — a political gamble that would invite backlash from the most powerful figure in the party and his MAGA base.

It’s legislative extortion — designed to force compliance not just with the bill, but with Trump himself.

Even if you support some of the budget items, hiding radical policy shifts in an appropriations bill is wrong. It’s not how representative government is supposed to function. It’s not democracy — it’s coercion.

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The Budget Bait-and-Switch

To be clear, the budget elements of this bill are deeply troubling on their own. Trump and his Republican allies promised to protect Medicare and Medicaid, pledging that they would target only "fraud and abuse."

But the math doesn’t lie. The bill imposes stricter work requirements and eligibility verification that will remove millions from Medicaid. It undermines Medicare oversight, repeals consumer protections, and cuts millions from food assistance programs . All while including tax breaks and corporate loopholes that balloon the national debt.

And now, the consequences of that fiscal hypocrisy are clear. On May 16, 2025, Moody’s downgraded the U.S. credit rating from Aaa to Aa1, citing persistent deficits, rising interest costs, and a lack of political will to change course. The downgrade followed projections that the bill — particularly its extension of Trump-era tax cuts — would add $3.3 trillion to the national debt over the next decade. It’s a blow not just to our fiscal standing, but to the credibility of the leaders who promised to govern responsibly.

This downgrade means higher borrowing costs for the government, businesses, and households. And it’s another example of how short-term politics are creating long-term risks — not just to the economy, but to the integrity of the democratic system itself.

Yet even this may be a smokescreen. While public outrage focuses on the budget gimmicks, the quieter provisions attacking accountability and elections go largely unnoticed. It’s a bait-and-switch: draw the spotlight to one scandal, while burying another.

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The Senate Is Our Last Line of Defense

On May 22, 2025, the House narrowly passed Trump’s Big Beautiful Bologna Bill by a vote of 215 to 214, with one member voting “present.” It now moves to the Senate, where there is still time — and power — to stop the worst of what’s inside.

This isn’t just a bad spending bill. It’s a structural assault on democracy. The Senate must act to strip out the provisions that weaken the judiciary, block oversight of AI, and undercut voters' ability to hold leaders accountable.

This is the moment to act.

Contact your senators. Demand they fix this bill before it becomes law. Ask them whether they support shielding public officials from court orders. Ask them if they think state and local governments should be banned from protecting elections from AI abuse.

This bill didn’t sneak through quietly — it passed by a single vote. That’s how close it came to being stopped. And that means it can still be changed.

Because if they don’t fix it — they own it.

And once this kind of legislation becomes law, it doesn’t just cause short-term harm. It becomes precedent. It becomes a roadmap. And it becomes that much harder to undo.

Don’t let the Big Bologna Bill become the new normal. The Senate is the firewall — but only if we make them hold the line.

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Hal Benz is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, business strategist, and life coach with more than 30 years of experience helping people and organizations grow with purpose. He blends emotional insight with sharp strategic thinking to support personal transformation, leadership development, and values-driven activism.

He lives in northern New Jersey with his wife of 34 years and their two rescue cats, affectionately named after folk singers Harry and Tom Chapin.