Fiscal hawks confronted by ‘staggering’ price tag of Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’

Published May 21, 2025 7:05pm ET



Republican budget hawks faced painful calculations Wednesday as the House inched toward advancing President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” that would saddle more generations with trillions of dollars in debt.

A fresh analysis from the Congressional Budget Office projected the proposal would pile on some $3 trillion over the next decade to the national debt, which already stands at an eye-popping $36 trillion. The estimate only further crippled chances of winning over holdouts.

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