Earlier this month, as our nation celebrated its 249th birthday, President Donald J. Trump signed his signature piece of legislation: the "One Big Beautiful Bill." This historic legislative accomplishment leaves America safer, wealthier, and on the path back to greatness. This bill represents, in important ways, the culmination of 12 years’ worth of campaign pledges from Trump, and every American will benefit from its policies and programs.
Alabamians, of course, are major beneficiaries of the BBB, which is why our Republican senators and representatives led the way in fighting for it. The bill promises a brighter future for Alabama – one in which family farms and businesses flourish, fraud is rooted out, and violent illegal immigrants are deported.
Some specific policies stand out as uniquely exciting for us here. For one, the BBB eliminates burdensome taxes on family farms, taking the government boot off the throats of those who work every day to provide our food. Between the extension of the 2017 Trump Tax Cuts, death-tax relief for family farms, and modernized rules for business expensing and capital depreciation, the tax burdens on Alabama farmers are lessened significantly. Paired with the BBB's provisions strengthening crop insurance, it is clear that Trump's agenda provides a brighter future for Alabama farmers.
The BBB also cracks down on illegal immigrants and able-bodied men who collect welfare checks and fraudulently use Medicaid, jeopardizing those programs for law-abiding Alabamians who depend on them. Contrary to the attacks of the radical left, the BBB upholds Trump's promise not to take Medicaid from Americans who need it. Instead, it roots out waste, fraud and abuse. No more illegal aliens taking Medicaid, like they do in California. No more able-bodied men choosing to seek taxpayer dollars instead of a job. Government programs are now, as they were always intended to be, only for Americans who need them.
Finally, the BBB provides critical funding for border security and ICE. This enables Trump's administration to fulfill its pledge to conduct the mass deportation of illegal aliens (a pledge that, until recently, was stymied by out-of-control federal courts). The bill provides $30 billion for hiring, training and equipping ICE agents, $45 billion for expanding detention facilities, $3 billion for prosecuting violent and dangerous illegal aliens and human traffickers, and $12 billion to reimburse states like Alabama for helping enforce federal immigration law. All of this is in addition to the nearly $50 billion allocated to build the wall across our southern border – funding that Trump has worked tirelessly since 2016 to deliver.
These policies are just a few of the legacy-defining accomplishments contained in the BBB. The bill also promotes domestic energy production to secure the future of American energy dominance and rid us of the wound inflicted by the Green New Scam. The BBB provides tremendous investment in a new and modern military, which is now – thanks to Trump – filled with patriotic new recruits. It’s thrilling to watch Huntsville take the lead in cutting-edge defense technology innovation. And with the BBB's massive investment in keeping America safe, Huntsville will have even more opportunities to lead the way.
In addition to the BBB, Trump just recently signed the HALT Fentanyl Act, which designates fentanyl as a schedule one drug. We in Alabama know all too well the tragedies caused by cheap, widespread fentanyl. It’s simple: if our border is secure, China and other bad actors will no longer be able to flood our country with synthetic fentanyl, which will lead to a sharp decrease in supply. And the stiffened penalties for trafficking laid out in the HALT Act will deter low-level criminals from participating in the fentanyl trade. This multi-pronged approach will save thousands – yes, thousands – of American lives. And this intervention means greater hope for Alabama families.
We owe the president a tremendous debt of gratitude for these historic pieces of legislation. These bills provide states like Alabama the opportunity to achieve lasting conservative victories. I look forward to helping optimize the president's hard work and seeing the promise of the BBB become a reality here in Alabama.
Jay Mitchell is a former Alabama Supreme Court justice and a candidate for Alabama attorney general.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to [email protected].
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