To download a two-pager on the law’s key harms to women and families, click here.
On July 4, 2025 Donald Trump signed into law his signature tax and spending bill, which we like to call the “Big Ugly Bill” since it will raise costs for families, push more people into poverty, and take a significant step toward a national abortion ban — all while providing a massive tax cut to the wealthiest and unprecedented funding for mass deportations.
Here are the key measures that will most hurt women and families, and when they go into effect:
Tax Cuts That Overwhelmingly Benefit Billionaires and Big Corporations
This law prioritizes tax cuts aimed at providing enormous benefits to the wealthiest individuals and big corporations.
Makes permanent a cut to the income tax rate paid exclusively by the top five percent of American households, costing the U.S. government $600 billion over 10 years — which could be enough to fund universal paid family and medical leave. This is already in effect and will now continue.
Makes permanent a tax cut for wealthy businesses that heaps about half of its benefits on millionaires, costing the U.S. government $800 billion over 10 years – which could be enough to fund a universal child care program. This is already in effect and will now continue.
Increases the amount of money that wealthy families can pass along tax-free to their heirs, costing the U.S. government $200 billion over 10 years — enough to permanently provide every family with a refundable Child Tax Credit. This goes into effect for the 2026 tax season.
Devastating Impacts on Health Care
Women and families will lose health care under this law because of the largest ever cut made to the Medicaid program. It also deals a devastating blow to reproductive health care access across the country.
Makes historic cuts to Medicaid through the law’s new nationwide work reporting requirements. Many Medicaid enrollees ages 19-64 will now have to follow a complicated process to prove they work 80 hours a month to keep their health care. These bureaucratic hurdles will lead millions of eligible people to lose their coverage. These requirements begin on December 31, 2026 – just weeks after the midterm election.
NOTE: You may know Medicaid through a different name, such as Medi-Cal for California or MassHealth for Massachusetts. These are still Medicaid programs and will be impacted under this law. Check out your state’s Medicaid name here.
Defunds Planned Parenthood, which could shut down one in four abortion providers nationwide and lead to the closure of nearly 200 Planned Parenthood health centers in largely rural and underserved areas. This will put vital reproductive health care services at risk for some of our most vulnerable populations. Planned Parenthood is currently defunded.
Allows for the expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, which help low- to middle-class families afford their health care premiums. This could cause 4 million people to lose their coverage. The enhanced tax credits expire on December 31, 2025.
Harmful Cuts to Food Programs
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps — helps almost 42 million people put food on the table every month. This law makes huge cuts to this vital program.
Cuts funding for SNAP by implementing new and more restrictive work reporting requirements — also known as time limits — for many SNAP recipients. By expanding these requirements and making them more complicated and time consuming, Trump and congressional Republicans are ensuring more families will be kicked out of the program. This is already in effect.
Puts new time limits on veterans, parents with children 13 or over, adults age 54-64, people experiencing homelessness, and young people who have aged out of foster care — all of whom were previously exempt from these burdensome requirements. This is already in effect.
Freezes future adjustments to the Thrifty Food Plan, which determines SNAP benefit levels. This freeze means that SNAP benefits will not be able to keep up with rising food costs over time, forcing families to spend more at the grocery store. This is already in effect.
Increases the share that states must pay to keep SNAP benefits at the same level and administer the program in their state. This change, along with less federal funding for Medicaid, will strain state budgets and make program cuts more likely. This cost-shift to states begins in Fiscal Year 2028.
Increases Higher Education Costs
Trump and congressional Republicans made it more expensive for students to afford college by cutting billions in federal education funding to help pay for tax cuts for billionaires and large corporations.
Limits eligibility for Pell Grants, which largely benefits students from lower income families. Begins July 1, 2026.
Makes student loan repayment more expensive for families by eliminating the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan, Income-Contingent Repayment Plan, and Pay as You Earn (PAYE) plan. Forces borrowers to choose between two repayment plans that are likely more expensive than the repayment plans that are set to be eliminated. Begins July 1, 2028.