Trump’s “big beautiful bill,” briefly explained

House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks during a news conference at the US Capitol, on May 20, 2025. | Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images

This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here.

Welcome to The Logoff: President Donald Trump is one step closer to getting his “big, beautiful bill” after it passed the House in a close vote early this morning.

What would the bill do? As my colleague Andrew Prokop has explained, the bill has four major pillars: 

Renewing Trump’s 2017 tax cuts

Implementing new tax cuts, such as Trump’s “no tax on tips” proposal

Spending billions on a border wall, US Customs and Border Protection, and the military

Increasing the debt ceiling, a recurring, necessary step that will likely have to get done by July

It would also lift the cap on the state and local tax deduction, or SALT — a political hot button important to frontline Republicans. And it would make deep cuts to Medicaid, clean energy programs, student loans, and food assistance.

What happened last night? House Republicans had been staring down a self-imposed Memorial Day deadline to advance their bill. Early Thursday morning, they passed the bill 215 votes to 214.

What happens now? The bill will head to the Senate, where the only certainty is another contentious process. Republican senators have a long list of sometimes-contradictory changes to iron out before their next deadline on July 4, and a relatively slim margin of error with their 53-member majority.

Will this actually make it to Trump’s desk? No one knows. The bill is the centerpiece of Trump’s legislative agenda and passed the House despite a fractious Republican conference, but a number of Republican senators have already expressed concerns about elements of the bill. And it will need to pass the House again after the Senate makes its changes, potentially a tall ask given the number of Republican hardliners in the lower chamber.

And with that, it’s time to log off…

The penny is officially on its way out, as of this morning. But as we bid farewell, it’s a perfect opportunity to read Caity Weaver’s incredible history of the one-cent coin, past efforts to do away with it, and the mounting absurdity of its existence. One fun fact from her story: Did you know the US has produced at least enough pennies — some 240 billion — to give two to every human who has ever lived? 

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‘Roadkill Ratatouille’: RFK Jr’s new cooking show buried in mockery



Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. nauseated the nation Thursday when he launched a cooking show critics feared would likely include roadkill.

"The Real Food Show" launches Thursday on his department's website and will feature celebrity chefs helping to prepare meals like "Crispy Salmon Cakes with Apple, White Bean & Green Salad" and highlighting some personal favorites like kimchi, yogurt and sauerkraut, reported USA Today.

“I use store-bought sauerkraut,” he told the newspaper, then described the correct way to eat the fermented cabbage. “The way that you're supposed to eat it is bite for bite. You take a bite of the meat, take a bite of the sauerkraut. That is kind of the prescribed, perfect way of eating it. You know, I don't do that perfectly every time that I try.”

Kennedy converted other Trump administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, to the sauerkraut diet, and he said they'd all lost weight since then.

“I will literally eat anything because I don't have a gag reflex," Kennedy said. “I love experimenting with foods. When I travel, I'll eat … street vendors’ cooking."

Kennedy said he cooks two “rudimentary” meals a day, adding that his repertoire was eggs, bacon, cheeseburgers and hamburgers, but he said his wife Cheryl Hines is a much better cook.

“I can cook a really good omelet,” Kennedy said, "and then my specialty would be steaks and meat and fish.”

The show's launch generated some skeptical coverage given Kennedy's history of handling roadkill and overseeing an outbreak of several food-borne illnesses since taking over the nation's public health.

"Why is Kennedy directing his attention to making cooking videos instead of managing these real problems? One reason could be that Kennedy has reportedly 'checked out' of his job and barely attends meetings, showing up to work at 10 a.m. only to leave around 4 p.m. He seems to care only about overhauling dietary guidelines and pushing an anti-vaccine agenda. The latter has led to a 35-year record high for measles cases in the U.S.," noted The New Republic.

"Because who doesn’t want to prepare grub with the guy who, among many things, has a brain part-eaten by worms; a supposed car full of severed animal parts; and a history of snorting lines off toilets?" asked Jezebel, suggesting that Kennedy might share recipes with viewers for "Roadkill Ratatouille," "Lemongrass Liver Salad" and "Anti-Diarrhea Yogurt."

"Roadkill Collector Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Launches Cooking Show and Warns America: ‘I Don’t Have a Gag Reflex,'" announced Mediaite.

"Someone posted this in slack and I actually thought it was The Onion," laughed MS NOW's Brandy Zadrozny.