Ten Sneaky Sleeper Provisions in Trump's Big Beautiful Bill [View all]

Gasp! Let's hope people read the fine print.

https://prospect.org/blogs-and-newsletters/tap/2025-05-23-ten-sneaky-sleeper-provisions-trumps-big-beautiful-bill/?fbclid=IwY2xjawKfArVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFCc05WOThDMTA4ajhxSHBDAR6WPV7985qK8-sHJaiDOSK-8bYVNR3mv2CMa3celrc9Jn4d9bUqJZVRFStEJA_aem_yyMbR5rD3IFxCw_Rsv4tFA

The headlines in the budget reconciliation bill that passed the House by one vote early Thursday morning are well known: massive tax cuts for the rich financed by crippling program cuts in Medicaid and food stamps, raising the federal debt by $3.3 trillion over a decade, and in turn spooking bond markets. But a lot of other mischief is buried in the fine print. Here are ten of the worst:

Crippling Courts. The bill, hiding behind the premise that it is an appropriations measure, prohibits any funds from being used to carry out court orders holding executive branch officials in contempt. This is designed to enable Trump and his officials to continue defying court orders. It is almost certainly unconstitutional—if courts have the nerve to say so.
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Terminating the Tax Status of Nonprofits. The reconciliation text gives the administration the power to define nonprofits as “terrorist-supporting organizations” and expedite the ending of their tax status. This is ostensibly directed against pro-Palestinian groups, but could be used to suppress the free speech and activism of climate organizations and others.