The staggering cost of President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful” bill packed with an unprecedented number of tax cuts is causing rifts among conservatives. Some are eager to provide the largest tax break in history for Americans, while others worry about the impact on the country’s long-term financial stability.
Among the latter is U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), a Tea Party-era supporter of Trump who, on Sunday, publicly disagreed with the president over the scale of spending included in the version of the bill recently approved by House Republicans. Johnson was initially told the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s total cost wouldn’t exceed $1.5 trillion but was disheartened to see Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) supporting a proposal that surpassed $4 trillion.
Trump’s landmark domestic legislation is now in the hands of Senate Republicans, where Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has acknowledged that significant revisions are possible. Thune is expected to perform the same balancing act as Speaker Johnson did — increasing tax cuts to win over moderates while pledging more aggressive, quicker spending cuts to satisfy fiscal conservatives.
Sen. Johnson, who campaigned on frustration over the ballooning national debt, gave Tapper a blunt warning about the scale and reach of the spending in Trump’s bill.
“One of my disappointments with the House process is, the only number we ever heard about was $1.5 trillion, which sounds like a lot, but it’s only $150 billion per year,” he explained. “And this is put in context that in 2019 we spent $4.4 trillion. This year we’ll spend over $7 trillion — $150 billion on that is basically a rounding error… We have to reduce the deficit, so we have to focus on spending, spending, spending.”
The Wisconsin Republican expanded on those worries with another message on social media.
“I pledged to do everything I can to stop mortgaging our children’s future, and I fully intend to make sure we are looking at the most relevant numbers in the Senate budget debate,” he wrote.
However, Johnson may not have anticipated the intense pushback from grassroots MAGA supporters online.
“The fact that ‘all hearings, no action’ Ron Johnson is on CNN tells you it’s all one party, and they are all frauds,” medical podcaster Jane Ruby commented.
Some pointed to President Trump’s creation of the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency as proof that he is determined to curb wasteful spending and use those savings for the benefit of the American people.
“President Trump wouldn’t have started DOGE if he wasn’t concerned about the [national] debt,” another person noted, while someone else added, “Make the DOGE cuts permanent! Absolutely disgraceful that Republicans have managed to discourage Elon Musk in only 4 months.”
“Pass the bill with Trump’s agenda. Cut the pork if you want. But pass the agenda with the tax cuts NOW,” a fourth said.
